


The Twilight Void

by Caroandlyn



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Betrayal, Captivity, Conspiracy, Demons, Elemental Magic, God Complex, Gods, Half-Humans, Heroes, Hidden Personality, Kidnapping, Multi, Possessive Behavior, Sibling Incest, Unhealthy Relationships, brutal misuse of japanese honorifics, is that too much to ask for, kuroko just wanted friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-10-23 13:50:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10720587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caroandlyn/pseuds/Caroandlyn
Summary: Warrior-in-training Kagami makes a contract with the Shadow Lord Kuroko, who also happens to have a quite a few incestuous older siblings that don't like people infringing on their "property"





	1. Prelude

It is hot, and he is tired. Riko has driven them all the the ground with her training regime from hell, and now Kagami cannot even find the energy to haul himself from the grimy surface of the training room to his bunk in the dorms, preferably after a nice, long, _cold_ shower.

Around him, his companions are all in the same predicate, red-faced and sweaty and exhausted. Hyuuga lies on his back, slumped and unmoving, like a turtle overturned on its shell. Mitobe leans against the wall, a hand over his face, effectively keeping the sweat that drips down from his forehead away from his eyes. Even Koganei, who could probably run a marathon and chatter the day away without any effort, has collapsed in the corner, panting visibly with hands drawn into tight fists.

"Alright, boys," Riko says cheerfully, and her voice is sweeter than poisoned honey. "That's enough work for today—" a collective groan of indignation "—and as a treat for all your hard work, I've made you all honeyed lemons!"

Silence immediately follows. Everybody knows how lethal their coach's cooking is, especially if said dish was made unsupervised. Riko has a natural talent for poison, only she does not seem to use it against enemies, but her own charges instead.

Hyuuga is the first to crack. "I'm going to go take a shower," he says, somehow garnering enough energy to push himself upwards and stagger away. "Don't bother leaving any food for me."

"Yeah, m-me too," says Furihata, following suit. "R-Riko-san, p-please don't save anything for me. It's fine."

Riko huffs angrily, looking mutinous. "Is my cooking that bad?" she says, and pulls out a large cooler from under the table. "You guys are grown men, you should be able to stomach anything. I added a whole bunch of vitamins inside here just for your benefit."

Nobody answers her. Somebody lets out a low-pitched keeling, a sound of mourning, as she struggles with the lid of the cooler, and the feeling of impending doom is high in the air. Kagami rolls over slightly, if only not to stare at what will no doubt cause him another week spent inside the dorms, sick with food poisoning. There is a _click_ sound as Riko flips open the top—

—the sound of death bells ring in his ears—

—and promptly releases a sound of surprise.

Kagami turns over, and suddenly finds that he can breathe again:

_The cooler is empty._

"That's not right—I was _sure_ that I placed the honeyed lemons in here this morning— _where did they go_?" Riko wails, holding the empty container close to her torso. "And I spent half an hour last night trying to make them!"

Kagami thinks he sees a shadow moving on the wall behind her, but when he blinks, it is gone. He groans, shifting his weight upwards so he sits unsteadily on his knees. Perhaps his exhaustion is getting to his head. "I'll be leaving as well," he calls out, but he isn't sure Riko can hear him over the condolences his teammates offer about the missing lemons without revealing their own relief.

* * *

 

The shower helps, but not much. Kagami sprawls over his bed, unmoving, gazing blankly at the tenebrous wall beside him, feeling strangely lethargic. His muscles scream with agony even when he is still, and there is a dull pain that _throbs_ in his lower ribs. Perhaps something has broken, or torn. He will ask Mitobe see to it later.

Lost in his thoughts, he almost does not hear the quiet rustling noise as the door softly creaks open.

"Who's there?" Kagami says loudly, pulling out a pistol from underneath his pillowcase and forcing himself to sit upwards. He leans against the wall, extending his arm towards the source of the noise. "I am armed, and not afraid to shoot. Reveal yourself at once."

The person—a boy, judging by the sound—laughs, a soft, breathless sound. "Is this any way to treat the person who just saved your life, Kagami-kun?" he says, almost mockingly. He has a smooth, childish voice, oddly hollow, as if speaking from another dimension completely; his words echo across the room, impossible to pinpoint. "Should you not repay the favor in kind, I believe the saying is?"

"What do you mean? How do you know my name?" Kagami asks, scrunching his eyebrows together. His tight hold on the gun does not yield. "And I don't recall anyone saving my life recently, especially—wait a second, _you_! You were that shadow on the wall, the one who stole Riko's honey lemons!"

"You are correct," the shadow says, sounding mechanic. "I am the Shadow Lord Kuroko, and the darkness is my domain. I have been watching you for quite a while, Kagami-kun. You are a very interesting human." The air in front of him ripples, and suddenly, in the space Kagami _swears_ had held nothing before, is a prepubescent boy, tousled blue hair and icy cyan eyes, and stunningly beautiful. "Will you become my contractor?"

Kagami has of course heard of the Elemental Rulers of legend, more times than he would like to count, but never before has he ever _imagined_ that one of them would suddenly appear and offer a contract to him. He sits, frozen, the pistol in his hand dropping to the floor with a loud thud. "Wha— _what_?"

"I imagine you heard me right the first time, Kagami-kun," Kuroko says dryly, lifting an eyebrow. "I asked if you were willing to become my contractor. I believe the answer is either a yes, or a no. Can you not understand me? Or is perhaps the pain dulling your thought system?" He waves a hand lazily, and then suddenly the pain is gone, as if it had never been there in the first place.

"I—I can understand what you're saying, but—" he swallows, trying to catch his breath. "Why me? Why did you choose me, of all people? I'm brash, loud, stupid—the only thing I'm good at is brawling. There's plenty of more talented people in this world."

"Do you wish for the truthful version of the answer, or the one which will make you feel better?" Kuroko asks drolly. When Kagami does not respond, he takes the silence as an answer. "You remind me of one of my older siblings. That is perhaps the only reason I asked for the contract. Now, what I'm looking for right now, is an answer. Please hurry, Kagami-kun. I am not fond of waiting."

Kagami bites his lip, hesitating. "I'll take it," he says, finally. "Okay, now what do I next?"

Kuroko blinks at him, as if he thought that Kagami was of low intelligence. "That _was_ the contract, Kagami-kun. Your acceptance was what finished it."

"Wait a second—there's no complicated rituals, or anything like that? I don't need to chant in some long-lost language or do some kind of crazy hooligan dancing?"

"Of course not," Kuroko said coolly, brushing him off. "Although it was a gamble. If you did not accept the contract when offered, you would probably be dead right now. But by studying your reactions, I learned that there was an eighty-percent chance of you saying yes."

"Wait— _you gambled my life_ for a _contract_? What if I _had_ said no at the time?" Kagami stares, open mouthed and unable to stop himself. "You should have told me at the beginning, about the consequences!"

"I told you, you would be dead if your refused," Kuroko shrugs, "and I would move on. And if I had told you about the consequences early on, it would probably affect the results. I wanted you to choose of your volition."

"Yes, but—"

At the moment, the door slams open, and Riko stands triumphantly, holding a glass container in her hand. "I just finished with another batch of honey lem— _Kagami Taiga_ , don't tell me you've been fooling around with random women when you were supposed to be properly resting?"

Kagami wants to groan—Riko has the worst timing ever. He can imagine the scene she sees: Kuroko stands directly in front of Kagami, and Kagami himself limp on the wall; his eyes widens his eyes in horror. "No, wait, Riko, it's not like that—"

Kuroko cuts in, "Riko-san, I believe this is a misunderstanding. I am not a girl. I am a boy."

 _That's all you're annoyed about?_ Kagami thinks, screaming mentally.

"I said, this is a misunderstanding," he says desperately, all too happy to explain. "I was somehow conned into a contract with an Elemental Ruler, and it also happens that if I refuse, I die. And he's also the Lord of the Shadows or something like that and apparently I remind him of his older brother or something like that which is why he chose me. Or at least that's the reason he gave me, I'm not sure if it's true but I hope it is because if it isn't then that means either I'm completely mentally insane which makes me interesting enough or powerful enough to capture the attention of a god, which is highly unlikely and something that will probably never happen so rest assured, Riko, and don't look at me with that face, it creeps me out seriously."

He pauses, and takes a deep breath. "We are _not_ involved, we just met a few minutes ago."

"Hmm?" Riko says, crossing her arms and eyeing them both sternly. Kuroko looks unperturbed. "Well, then, Kagami, since you like to talk so much, care to explain?"

Kagami gulps violently, crossing his fingers behind his back and hoping for the best.

* * *

His teammates take the news of Kagami being an Elemental Ruler contractor surprisingly well. They accept Kuroko, too, even though half the time the Shadow Lord is away doing whatever an Elemental Lord does, and is strangely exempted from eating Riko's poison cooking.

And so, the next few months pass by in peace.

Until the green comes, and swallows up the world.

 

 


	2. An Interlude

"You're leaving?" Kagami tries to hide the disappointment from his face when Kuroko tells him the news, clenching his fists behind his back. "But—but, didn't we make a contract earlier—?"

Kuroko shrugs unsympathetically, unmoving from his sprawled position on the mattress. Kagami's bed, according to Riko, was in need for some 'good fixtures', and so, while a bunk is being renovated into the structure, they have been making do with borrowed futons and spare blankets. "I have duties to maintain as an Elemental Ruler. If I cannot perform them, then this world may very well be doomed."

Kagami frowns. "Why can't I go with you? I'm your contractor, aren't I?" Don't you trust me? He doesn't ask. I thought you wished for us to be friends—

"It's too dangerous for a human," Kuroko says, as if that explains everything (it doesn't). "Even with the boosts you have gained by contracting with me, you would very likely be incinerated into ashes within seconds of entering."

"What kind of place are you going too?" Kagami gapes, open-mouthed and staring and unable to stop himself. "I mean, I thought being the Shadow Lord just meant controlling the shadows and spying on people in the night..."

"Then you have been taught wrong by the ignorant masses, Kagami-kun," says Kuroko bluntly, with no sign of remorse. Kagami flinches slightly at the words (because damn it, even though they were friends he just insulted Alex), but steadies himself soon after. "I am going to visit Hell. It is part of my duty to ensure that Satan is properly sealed within the depths of Tartarus, although I am not responsible for the sealing him myself."

"...Sa-tan," Kagami tries the unfamiliar word on his tongue. It leaves poison in his mouth, a revolting, bitter taste. "Who's he? Some kind of demon?"

Kuroko stares at him, eerie all-knowing eyes peering from underneath long blue lashes. "His real name is Haizaki Shougo," he says, tilting his head with disbelief, as if he was surprised Kagami did not know who this person was. "He was a human archer who drank the blood of my elder brother Kise, the Sun Prince, by shooting a thousand arrows laced with snake venom at the sun. His power grew so much that eventually he was equal to us, the Elemental Lords, but we sealed him into the deepest depths of Hell a long, long ago, after the Second Hell Wars."

"Oh," says Kagami, and finds himself unable to say anything else, not only because this is the most he has heard Kuroko speak ever since the Shadow Lord came to Seirin, but also because of the slight sorrow in the Elemental Ruler's inflections, almost as if Kuroko felt regret at the sealing of his greatest enemy instead of triumph.

"It was a long time ago," Kuroko nods, taking Kagami's awkwardness for confusion at the story. "Haizaki-kun was a few millennium younger than me, so before the power consumed him we got along rather amiably. It was a pity, really, that his mind was weak enough to allow Hanamiya Makoto, the Demon of Greed, to sway him with thoughts of more power."

Kagami blanches. "Wait, he actually believed in a Demon's Trade? How stupid could he get?"

"Very stupid," Kuroko says, and his blank expressions soften a bit. "He was similar to both you and Nii-san, really. Perhaps one day you'll meet him in Hell, if you commit enough evil in life. "

"Haha, very funny," Kagami grumbles. A comfortable silence follows, before Kuroko sits up, rustling the blankets quietly.

"Kagami-kun, I'm afraid I'll have to depart here," he says suddenly, looking ahead and seeing some invisible clock that nobody else can. "Make sure you do not leave this room." And before Kagami can question him on what in all seven Elemental Rulers do you mean, the older boy is gone from sight (but not from mind. Unfortunately).


	3. Chapter I

Akashi stares at the scenery outside the palace window, wondering if he could get away with conjuring a storm—and only a small one, mind you—if only to stir up the excitement. Millenniums of routine have driven him to near lunacy, and if he weren't immortal, he is sure he would have long died of ennui.

A sudden inspiration hits him, and his lips lift slightly upwards; a cruel, cold smirk.

"Momoi," he calls out blandly, and the Moon Princess turns to look at him from her embroidering, annoyed. She is really quite lovely: silk tresses of pink hair, a long, thin nose and plump lips—so similar and yet so different from her twin brother, the Sun Prince, Kise, who has a beauty that shines brighter than all others, but can be quite painful to look at after a while.

"What, Akashi?" she asks, and does not bother to hide the flippancy in her tone. He does not mind her disrespect too much—she may be the third-born child, but she is also the most efficient of his siblings, and he can trust her to get things done.

"I believe that I have not seen Kuroko for—"

"—three years, five months, six weeks and two days, including today," Momoi says without blinking, arching one delicate eyebrow upwards. She returns to her sewing, pulling out a roll of purple thread. "I know that. Let me make a guess, you wish to see him?"

Akashi smiles almost sinisterly, extending one narrow finger on his sister's extended chin. She shakes her head exasperatedly, turning away from his touch. "You know me all too well, Momoi. Our youngest brother has spent too much time skulking in the shadows of lower beings, don't you agree? Should we summon him back here, and let the brightness engulf the world?"

"You are much too evil," Momoi says, but there is no hiding the crafty smile that dances on her lips. "Midorama-kun should know of Tetsu-kun's whereabouts, yes? What orders should we send him this time?"

"How about, kill the human that Kuroko stays with this time, hmm? As punishment for disregarding his poor, lonely siblings?" He puts a finger to his lips, as if telling a secret. "I wonder what expression he'll make at me this time, after he realizes I was the one who was behind the death of his beloved _pet_? It should be very beautiful, indeed, isn't that right?"

Momoi shakes her head, stabbing the needle harder than necessary in the silk canvas. "You're insane," she says, in a sultry tone she hasn't used on him for almost three centuries, " _o_ _nii-chan_. No wonder I love you so—"

"But not as much as you love Kuroko," Akashi cuts in, his tone almost admonishing, and Momoi shrugs, making a sound of affirmant.

"Of course. After all, don't we all love Tetsu-kun very, _very_ much?"

* * *

 

Kagami finds himself alone again, sitting on his cot while he waits for Kuroko to finish whatever the Shadow Lord fancies on doing for the day. Being a contractor is in reality an extremely dull job—in return for getting stat boosts until his abilities are far past human limitations, he has to wait patiently for sometimes weeks at a time while Kuroko ventures into little adventures unfit for the fragile bodies of humans, and is unable to leave the room for long periods—even to spar— lest the Elemental return any moment.

The sound of knocking interrupts his thoughts and he snaps his head up, whipping out his gun and directing it towards the door a second later. Damn. He had gotten rusty. How had he not heard the footsteps? "Hey, Kagami, is Kuroko in right now?"

Kagami sighs; he recognizes the voice. The gun is hastily shoved back under his pillow. "No, he's out. Why are you looking for him, Izuki?"

"He borrowed one of my joke books a while back, told that he wanted to learn more about 'the basis of human dynamics' or something like that. Well, if he's not in, than I'm off. See you later, Kagami."

"Wait," says Kagami, "don't go yet." He hears the footsteps stop, a strange shuffling noise in its place. "I haven't sparred with anybody for a long time. Kuroko won't mind if we mess up the room a little. It's not like he's coming back any time soon, right?"

"Sure, if that's what you want," Izuki says, and the door opens a second later, brown eyes eyeing the room with interest. "Wow, your room is pretty neat compared to the last time I saw it. What—you hired a maid under our noses or something?"

Kagami snorts. Loudly. "Yeah, right. Kuroko just waved his hand the other day and the whole room became magically neat. I don't know how he did it, honestly, but he even put my blankets in the correct order." He gestures to the bedspread, where his six quilts are stacked messily over another. "So anyway, how do you want to do this? With swords? Hand-to-hand? Magic? Or just a simple brawl?"

Izuki shrugs, pulling out a carefully hidden knife from under his shirt sleeves. "How about a free-for-all? Riko's training is so dull, it really makes me want to go out there somewhere and start going homicidal sometimes." A maniacal smile flits over the older boy's face, divulging his true intent. "I learned some new magic the other day—I think it would be good to practice it, ne, Kagami?"

"Go ahead and try," Kagami laughs, cracking his knuckles. "Alright, let's— _whoa_!"

He ducks a hasty retreat as a flash of fox-fire shoots right in the area where his head would have been, hitting the vanity behind him instead and fizzling away. Izumi whistles appreciatively, fingers still steaming, and begins the hand motions to create another ball—

"Oh, _no you don't_!" Kagami yells, grabbing his pistol and firing. The bullet hits Izumi's knife and bounces off, safely landing onto the ground, but is enough to distract the warrior-priest from continuing on his spell. Kagami rushes forwards, kicking at the adversary's knees, and is pleased to note that his foot makes contact. Izumi stumbles at the sudden impact, falling backwards, but recovers sufficiently to dodge Kagami's next punch.

Kagami moves forwards, ducking his head as Izuki's elbows fly past above. "Take this!" he shouts, twisting the gun at an angle as he aims. He shoots twice; both bullets embed themselves in the wall behind his target. In retaliation, a spinning orb of compressed air shoots toward him, and Kagami flinches violently to the side, wincing as the basketball he had placed on the dresser is blasted into smithereens.

"Good try, Kagami," Izuki taunts breathlessly, his fingers forming a series of symbols in rapid succession. "But can you survive this?" He whispers something low underneath his breath, and suddenly a ball of pure energy forms within his hand, glowing a deep, guttural shade of red. "I learned this from one of the Medieval books that survived the Burnings. This is the power of Satan himself!"

Kagami smiles ferally, settling into a defense stance. "Didn't the history books teach you about what happened to Satan? The Seven Elemental Rulers completely _crushed_ him into oblivion—just like how I am going to crush you!"

"Big talk for a rookie warrior like you," the older boy notes. His voice cracks involuntarily from the strain of holding up such a spell; Kagami's stomach lurches—he cannot imagine how much power the ball must hold. "You can't escape this now, Kagami!"

Izuki flings the ball forwards blindly, before flying backwards violently from the recoil shock. The orb flies towards Kagami, and he stands, frozen, watching it in slow motion, because _he can't move oh god he can't move he's frozen_ —

" _AAAAAUUUUGGGHH_!" Kagami screams as the energy impacts against his chest—he cannot feel the pain anymore, only the blistering heat scorching against his skin and the blood pooling around his torso. "Fuck— _fuck_ — _FUCK_ —"

Izuki watches the scene, his expression of maniacal glee slowly morphing into undiluted terror. Behind him, the door bursts open, Riko barging in authoritatively, followed by the entirety of the Seirin Camp.

"What _happened_ here?" Riko says, surveying the damage, before catching sight of Kagami. "Kagami, what have you been _doing_? Where's Kuroko?"

"...it was... just a spar," Kagami says weakly, clutching at his chest, before giving a smile. "It's fine... I'm an Elemental Ruler contractor... see? It's starting to heal... already..."

He is right. Around the area of most damage, an area dangerously close to his inner organs, the skin has already started to regrow, the worst of the burns fading into rapidly fading scars. His complexion is rapidly darkening from the white paleness it had been—Riko calculates that in about an hour or so, there will be no sign of Kagami's injury anymore.

"What a cheap skill," Hyuuga grumbles, and she whacks him with the end of her clipboard for his inconsideration of a teammate. "I mean, isn't he practically immortal now? This healing ability is almost too good to be true."

"Yes, but still..." Riko says, before turning her head sharply to face a shame-faced Izuki. " _You_! What were you thinking, fighting Kagami when you _know_ he's much below your level? What if he _didn't_ have that miraculous healing ability? What if he died?"

"It's not his fault..." Kagami mumbles tiredly, sitting up. "I was the one... who instigated the spar. It's not... Izuki's fault... so don't blame him..."

"He is right," a familiar voice says, and all faces are directed towards the entrance of the doorway. "Kagami-kun was the one who pressured Izuki-san into accepting the spar. Additionally, the one who should have been worrying about his health was Izuki-san. Therefore, I see no problem."

"Hmph," Riko says, crossing her arms. "He's your charge, though, Kuroko, you should take care of him better. If the contract didn't forbid him from leaving this area while you were gone, this would have never happened."

"But it does, and so it did," Kuroko says blankly, his voice strangely pacifying, setting a gentle hand on Kagami's shoulder, before mumbling something under his breath. At once the disorganized room is rearranged into something borderline passable, the damage from the battle disappearing as if it had never existed, and Kagami's wounds are completely gone, along with the large hole in his shirt. "Izuki-san, I would advise you not to use that spell again. The recoil shock will take quite a toll on your body later on, and the energy may attract... _unsavory_ things."

Izuki nods slightly, not trusting himself to speak. The general shock from the spar has died down, followed instead with concern and curiosity regarding Kagami's pseudo-immortality, but slowly and surely, the crowd trickles outside, until only Riko, Kagami, and Kuroko remain. Mitobe flips the unmoving Izuki with ease over his shoulder, and leaves along with the others.

Kagami groans. "We never finished our battle..." he moans, sighing.

" _Bakagami_!" Riko shouts, holding his head in an uncomfortable headlock. "Is fighting all that goes on in your head?"

Kuroko watches the scene with darkly veiled eyes, and frowns, crushing the small poppy seed in his hand. Behind him, a single green seedling creeps innocently in from the open window, unnoticed by all.

* * *

 

"Alright, you brats, go ahead," Riko says, crossing her arms authoritatively. She stands in the Spectators' Box beside an indifferent-looking Kuroko, and looks down at the training grounds with an air of disgruntlement. "Remember the rules—this time, try not to go for life-threatening injuries, alright?"

"Got it," Kagami says, baring his teeth ferally. "Alright, bring it on!"

"If that's what you wish," Izuki says, immediately harnessing two glowing balls of tightly compressed air. "Can you handle the _pressure_?"

Kagami laughs, a hearty sound. "Can _you_?" he says, before whipping out a pair of specially-made energy handguns. He shoots a barrage of energy bullets at the same time Izuki throws his balls of air, and the two forces collide against one another with a large explosion.

Izuki takes advantage of the smoke to lunge forwards, pulling out from the lining of his pants, instead of his preferred dagger, a long-sword. He thrusts blindly at the area he had seen his adversary last, and is rewarded with a flash of metal resisting his blade, utilizing so much force that he is even pushed back.

"Thought you could get me like that?" Kagami taunts, his voice heavy with exertion. He has put aside his guns for a pair of blades, one long and the other barely bigger than a kitchen knife, specially designed for resisting energy bolts. "You'll have to try header!"

"That I will," Izuki says, smiling widely. "You seem to have forgotten that I am already a certified priest apprentice. Compressed air is something that even beginners like yourself can do, did you know?" He shoots two fingers upwards, forming particles of water made of pure spiritual aura alone. "Can your swords slice through water?"

"If they can slice through air, I'm sure they can go through water," Kagami says confidently, settling himself in another stance. As the balls of water head towards him, he takes the longer sword and stabs through it, rendering it into splotches of liquid that fall harmlessly to the ground. "See?"

Izuki grins, his smile rather reminiscent of a clown. "But that is not all I can do, Kagami," he says, stomping at the ground. At once, a fissure goes through the ground, shaking the ground violently. "Can you dodge _this_?"

Kagami jerks violently to the side as a large beanstalk sprouts through the ground, spearing through the area where had just been. It stops just shy of the ceiling, but large tendrils of vines wave violently, heading straight towards Kagami. "Since when could you do all this?" Kagami asks, slicing away at the foliage hastily.

Izuki's face pales rapidly. "I didn't... this spell was supposed to do this! I didn't summon the beanstalk!"

Kuroko's complexion is ashen as well. " _Move out of the way_!" the Elemental Ruler shouts, jumping off the ledge of the Spectators' Box, and Kagami and Izuki heed to his warning at once, scrambling away from the scene, shaken at seeing the normally-composed boy panic. "What are you doing here? Who sent you here?"

The beanstalk splits open through the middle, and through the gap a green-haired man walks out, tall, handsome, and strangely cold. "Tetsuya. You have not visited the Heavenly Palace for almost half a decade. This is your punishment."

Kuroko's expression is true fear, and apprehensively the three humans back away, because _what on Earth_ could scare an _Elemental Ruler_? "Onii-sama has not called me upwards, Onii-san. I have not sinned."

"Regardless, you have made him lonely with your absence. I have orders to kill your new _pet_ if you resist," the handsome man—the oldest of the three Land Kings, the Earth King, Midorima, Riko recognizes—says, pulling out a pair of glass spectacles. Kuroko tenses up, clutching at his fists desperately. "Come. I have already set up a Portal. Go through, and nobody will be hurt."

"Kuroko, _no_!" Kagami shouts, seeing the absolute pain in the boy's eyes. "Don't listen to him or worry about us—just leave! Don't do something you don't want to do!"

Riko watches Midorima turn, gazing coldly at her charge. "You must be Tetsuya's _dog_ ," he says, and then, quick as a flash, a sudden flame envelops the area where Kagami had stood. Before she can scream out in surprise, the flame is gone, and instead Kagami falls to the floor, badly burnt. "I have ended your contract now. You will forget about Tetsuya, and resume your utterly pitiful life, or I will end it for you now."

"Onii-san!" Kuroko all but screams, making an anguished face. "Leave him alone! I'll go with you!" At that moment, it strikes all the onlookers in the room how _human_ Kuroko looks, pain in his eyes and tears building up in his eyes.

"Che," Midorima tsks, and turns to face his younger brother. "You go in first. I will shortly follow."

Kuroko walks into the beanstalk, his face carefully hollow, before he disappears out of sight. Midorima makes to follow, but pauses after half a step.

"I lied about killing you if Tetsuya resisted," he says clinically, tapping the glass of his spectacles as if thinking. "My goal was to kill you no matter _what_ you did. Don't take this personally."

And before anyone can do anything else, a seedling rises from the floor of the training grounds, piercing straight through Kagami's heart before becoming a tree.


	4. Chapter II

Kuroko sits at the end of the table, gazing blankly at the empty silver plate. His reflection stares back at him, empty blue eyes that seem to have seen the world fading into dull metal.

"Tetsuya, will you not eat?" Akashi's voice brushes against his ears with the breeze, alluring and filled with temptation. "You have just come back to us, after all. To celebrate this most joyous occasion, I have seen fit to provide the best delicacies that this world can provide. Come, and drink some wine made with the grapes of Wrath himself."

"Onii-sama," Kuroko says dully, and looks up. His eldest brother sits at the head of the table, clothed in golden thread that contrasts with the platinum glow of his throne. To his left is Kise, who lounges comfortably on an ornate embroidered sofa; to his right, Momoi, adorned in the finest of silks and settled daintily on her silver chair. "I am afraid I have lost my appetite. Please, carry on without me."

"Nonsense," Akashi says dismissively, toying with an intricate detail on his robe. "You must eat; this celebration is in your honor, after all. Shintaro, please do pass me the ambrosia."

Midorima wordlessly adjusts the spectacles on his nose, before waving his hand carelessly; at once, great vines emerge from the tablecloth, carrying away the plate in question before dissipating back into thin air. He is also dressed grandly—fine linen robes hang over his shoulders, boasting of his large frame and tall stature; small white flowers form a headpiece, complete with a small blue rose in the middle, matching with the sky blue hydrangeas that grow through the gaps in his woven-flax chair.

"I must refuse, Onii-sama," Kuroko says quietly, tilting his head as Murasakibara's elbow swings past.

Kise pouts. "Kurokocchi, _please_ try," he says childishly, sounding put out. Around him, several servants—more than half of the male gender—swoon at his sulking expression, fainting dead away.

"Thank you very much," Akashi says to Midorama, ladling a spoonful of the golden solid onto his own silver plate. With a nod, the servants are cleared away by special attendants waiting in the background. "I _insist_ , Tetsuya. You wouldn't want to hurt your older brother more than he already has been, do you? Aomine, please remind him."

Aomine snorts, looking up from where he had been gulping down endlessly plateful after plateful of food. His sea-silk robes are miraculously clean, as are the various ornaments of the ocean decked in his hair and coral throne, but a single sauce stain is evident on his right cheek. "Hmm? Oh yeah. Tetsu, just do whatever he tells you to do."

"Tetsu-kun," murmurs Momoi, smiling. She runs a hand seductively down her arm, before extending a few impossibly thin fingers towards him. "Won't you keep your big brothers and me company for a while? We all missed you _very_ much, after all. Why don't you sit on nee-sama's lap, like the old days?"

A vine slaps her hand away. "Do not overstep your bounds, Onee-sama," Midorama says coldly, turning his fork—still with a lettuce leaf speared through it—with his hands, the vines waving wildly around his seat. "You should remember the Rules."

Momoi hisses angrily, much like a bristling cat extending its fur. "Do not talk to me in that manner either, _fourth born_ ," she says, her tone condescending. "Show some respect to your elders. Or have forgotten the Rules as well?"

"Do you wish to fight, Onee-sama?" he laughs patronisingly, taking off his glasses to glare at her with furious green orbs. "The Earth King, against the Moon Princess. That would be a matchup worth seeing, wouldn't it?"

She smiles back at him with full force, daintily holding up a moonstone that floats in-between her fingers. "Of course not, _Midorama-kun_. It would be simply laughable, as the winner is obvious. After all, it would be a fight with the third born child against the fourth born son. And I wouldn't even have to _try_."

"Why you—"

" _Enough_ ," Akashi says calmly, but loud enough to shake all the occupants of the table. "I will not have fighting under _my_ roof, especially at the dinner table. You two, stop, and be silent."

"Yes, Onii-sama," the two Elemental Rulers say in tandem, shooting dirty looks at each other before turning back to their meals. They are both extremely intelligent, after all, and understand that any attempted homicide must be done in secret, in a place where the crime cannot be traced back to them.

"Now," says Akashi, turning back to Kuroko. "Have you thought about it long enough now?"

"I do not have much of an appetite," Kuroko repeats quietly, resting his gaze onto his fingers. "I have lived in the human world for more than three years, feeding off the life force of humans, which is more than enough to satisfy me for a lifetime. So please, do not force me."

"Does Kuro-chin find our presence that uncomfortable?" Murasakibara yawns, nibbling at a slice of honey-cake. He is dressed plainly, stone gray raiment bedecked with small crystals, although his chair—polished diamond, rubies, emeralds, and a variety of sapphire shades—is as majestic and impressive-looking as the mountains and caverns that is his domain.

"Yes, Tetsuya," Akashi says, and smiles. It is a veiled smile, one with hidden intentions, and there is something about it that sends the chills down the spines of those unlucky enough to gaze upon it. "Are we so unbearable to you?"

Kuroko does not answer.

He does not need to. The answer is clear enough.

* * *

 

Dead.

 _Dead_.

**_Dead_ ** _—_

_—oh god he's dead dead dead and he's not coming back why on all seven elemental rulers had they agreed to this in the first place why did he have to die in the end why why why—_

_—why_?

"Are you okay, Coach?" Riko looks up to see Koganei staring down at her, his normally boisterous expression dimmed down until his smile is made of nothing but cosmetic plastic and the shine of iron pyrite nuggets. "I got water for you. I thought you might be thirsty."

The _after Kagami's funeral_ is not said, but implied. Riko gets the message anyway.

"I'm fine," she says, but can't quite keep her voice from cracking halfway. "I'm fine, really. You don't have to worry about me at all, Koganei—make sure you take care of yourself first, okay?"

"You're not fine," Koganei says, and tosses her the bottle. "You're obviously trying to hide it, but it's obvious to anyone who sees you in this state that you're definitely _not_ fine. You were the one who witnessed him die firsthand, weren't you? Even though somebody else cleaned up the body, it's clear that you're still in shock."

She laughs bitterly. "Why did he have to die?" she asks, and then she is sobbing. "What did he do to deserve dying? He was a good kid, filled with talent, too. So powerful, even an Elemental Ruler acknowledged his potential. And they were the best of friends, even though they were of different species, and then—" she coughs, sniffling loudly, "— _and then_ , that _man_ came and just destroyed it all. Kuroko probably doesn't even know that Kagami's dead yet, poor kid. How is he? He's probably holed up in wherever they keep Elemental Rulers that sin, just because he wanted a friend. Why is life so unfair? Why does it do thing and then laugh in our faces and—"

"You're rambling now, Riko," Koganei interrupts nervously, holding a delicate arm over her shoulder as if she were a land mine, liable to explode any second. "Wait, hold on—I'll go get _him_ —"

Riko hiccups, gripping her clipboard tightly to her chest, before raising a sleeve to wipe her tears away.

"Hold on, don't do that, it's unsanitary," a low male voice jokes dryly, grabbing her hand before it can make it to her face. "You're the one who told me that before, didn't you, Riko?"

Her breath stops in her throat, and she stands, unable to breathe—

—she _recognizes_ that voice—

—and slowly, her lips form a word she doesn't even realize she says out loud.

" _Kiyoshi Teppei_?"

She lifts her head slowly to meet the man's face, and it strikes at her how _much_ he has grown over the years. The once skinny limbs she had ridiculed in her youth have grown into lean muscle, finely honed after years of training, and a collection of abs have grown in his chest, visible even under the white jersey he dons. He still has same irritably childish face from before, though, and messy hair that makes her want to whip out a comb and brush as if there were no tomorrow.

"Yep, Riko," Kiyoshi mutters, and hugs her closer. "It's me. The doctor said I was cleared to leave last week, and I came in rushing as fast as I could when I heard about what happened."

"Kagami's dead," she sobs into his chest, and then the words pour out of her mouth all over again, a never ending paradox. "I saw that tree come out of his chest—it ripped apart most of his flesh when it pierced through, and there was blood _everywhere_ —it was just growing, and ripping, and growing again, and I just couldn't move or help him because I was so _scared_... I'm such a coward, even though I'm supposed to be his coach, the person who should be taking care of him and encouraging him and _protecting_ him, but I couldn't..."

" _Shh_..." Kiyoshi says, rocking back and forth. "You're okay now. I know somebody who can help you. He owes me a favor from a long time ago, anyway, and it's about time I use it, don't you think?"

It is amazing, Riko thinks, how Kiyoshi has retained his skill of finding the capacity to be optimistic even in such depressing times from childhood. She doesn't bother to think more of it, though, just leans in his chest and slowly falls into dreamless sleep.

Kiyoshi peers down at the sleeping face of his childhood friend, and watches in wonder at how peaceful she looks at rest. Shaking the image out of his mind, he pulls out a connection orb from a pocket in his robe and dials a familiar number:

"Hello? Is this Takao Kazunari? Yes, this is Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi _Teppei_ , not Miyaji. Hmm? Yeah, I need you to do a little _something_ for me..."

* * *

 

"That was a good meal," Kise comments, rubbing his stomach and standing up to stretch. "Ah, but I have to burn all the fat I got from eating off, or else I won't be as handsome as before!"

Aomine snorts, rubbing his face with his sleeve before muttering something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like ' _egotistical bastard_ '. Beside him, Murasakibara scrapes the last of his plate clean with his spoon, and then stretches out fully to his impressive height so that his head brushes slightly against the ceiling; he is the tallest of all his siblings, despite being the second-to-last son. Midorama rises not soon after, regally wiping the corners of his mouth and his hands with a hot cloth.

Around them, servants and maids bustle about, clearing away the various plates and dishes, many of them untouched and still steaming. One particularly noticeable butler sports a black eye, no doubt a punishment from the cook for fainting on the job.

Kuroko sits at the edge of his seat, his plate untouched, and watches.

"Akashi," Momoi says snappishly, crossing her arms not unlike a child holding a fit. "Tetsu-kun will stay with _me_ tonight, will he not? After all, it is only fitting that the youngest of the brood should spend some time with his beloved big sister. He is still but a child, after all, and is not yet a man, and therefore should not be placed with those who are."

"No fair, Momoicchi," Kise whines, adjusting the sash of his robe. "Do you think you're sly, trying to curry Akacchi's favor? Just because _you're_ his second favorite, you think that you get away with anything."

"Don't act like you're the victim here, Ryouta," she says. "Do you know how many times you almost strangled him with those so-called embraces?"

" _Momoicchi_ —"

"Momoi, do not needlessly provoke your brother," Akashi says, staring down at her intimidatingly. "Kuroko will not sleep in your quarters tonight. I believe mine will have ample space enough."

Momoi purses her lips stubbornly, settling her hands on her hips. "Then I'll join you," she says decisively, and stares at him directly in the eye. "After all, I miss him _just as much as you do_. The last time he was here at the Heavenly Palace, he left not soon after, did he not? We never got a chance to _reunite_."

Kuroko takes this as a chance to speak up. "I'm afraid I must leave now," he says, unclenching his fists. "I have my duties to finish, and something to return to, Onii-sama, Onee-sama. I thank you for the meal. It is my deepest regret I could not stay here any later."

" _What_ meal?" Akashi says in amusement. "You have eaten absolutely nothing today, Tetsuya. How can you wax poetic flattery about something you have never experienced yet? And if you're thinking of returning to that human you grew so attached to in your visits to the lower world, to simply abandon us, your very own flesh and ichor, for such a _lower_ _being_..."

" _How do you know about him_?" Kuroko says, almost yelling now, and his expression is distorted—oh-so-wonderfully—with fear. "You _promised_! You said you wouldn't harm him if I came with you, that you would leave me alone... _what did you do to Kagami_?"

Akashi smiles. "Oh, so Kagami is his name, hmm? Well, I never made _any_ promises regarding him... I believe it was all Shintarou, was it not? Well, since he stole so much of my time with you, I decided to give him a punishment."

Kuroko stares at him, his breathing uneven, cheeks flushed, eyes filled with betrayal, and he has never before looked so beautiful before.

"You will never again be able to see him, Tetsuya," says Akashi, smirking, and rests his chin on his wrists. "I have simply taken back what is mine, and paid back the favor in full. Do not leave me anymore, Kuroko, _ever again_ , for you are _mine_ , and mine all those scum that dare oppose me by stealing my possessions—by stealing _you_ —will suffer the same fate as this Kagami friend of yours."

He finishes with a flourish of the hand, elegantly settling into his platinum throne. Numerous expressions flash through his younger brother's eyes—betrayal, anger, disappointment, fear, sadness—until it is all gone, and Kuroko's eyes are hollow once more.

Nobody speaks.

" _So_ , Tetsu-kun," Momoi giggles airily, finally breaking the silence, and wraps deceptively thin arms around his neck. "Won't you stay with us for a _while_?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Elemental Ruler Hierarchy:
> 
> Akashi—Eldest Son—The Heavenly Emperor  
> Kise—Second Son—The Sun Prince (Twin of Momoi)  
> Momoi—Only Daughter, Third Child—The Moon Princess (Twin of Kise)  
> Midorama—Fourth Son—The Earth King  
> Aomine—Fifth Son—The Sea King  
> Murasakibara—Sixth Son—The Stone King  
> Kuroko—Youngest Son—The Shadow Lord
> 
> Kuroko addresses all Three Land Kings (Midorama, Aomine, Murasakibara) as well as Kise as Onii-san; Momoi is Onee-sama; Akashi is Onii-sama.
> 
> The Three Land Kings are on relatively equal terms of each other, so Aomine refers to the Midorama as Nii-san, while Midorama and Aomine call the younger Land King(s) by name; Murasakibara calls everybody [name]-chin, no matter of age, and is the exception to this rule. All three address Kuroko familiarly, as he is the youngest sibling. As for the older siblings, refer to Kuroko's honorifics above.
> 
> Momoi refers to those older than her with disrespect; Akashi is sometimes called nii-sama, but rarely; Kise is called Ryouta, no honorifics. She addresses her younger siblings with [name]-kun.
> 
> Like Murasakibara, Kise refers to all his siblings with [nickname]-cchi. This has earned him a lack of respect, especially with his younger siblings.
> 
> Akashi calls everybody by their given name, no honorifics. He alone is referred to as Onii-sama by all his younger siblings.


	5. Chapter III

Haizaki stifles a yawn, reclining lazily against his restraints as he watches the emerging stalagmite rumble to a slow halt. In the dim and murky light of the cavern he can make out a figure materializing from the formation, although the silhouette is distorted with disturbed Hell-dust from the appearance of the Portal and almost impossible to discern properly. However...

"You are not Kuroko-kun," he drawls arrogantly, and is amused to see the man—for no woman or child would be so tall—stiffen; whether in fear or offense, he cannot tell. "Tell me, stone-sorcerer, who are you and why have you come to see me?"

The unknown person comes closer, reluctantly, in slow footsteps. "Does Zaki-chin not remember who I am already?" says a voice, mildly pleasant on the surface, but with a deep, guttural undertone whispering of ancient things that humans or demons could never, can never understand, of wisdom older than the world itself. "It's only been a hundred thousand years since we put you in here."

Haizaki smirks, a cold, cruel smile. "Ah, Murasakibara-kun, it can only be you. It _has_ been a long time, hasn't it? I almost didn't recognize you—after all, the last time we met, you certainly weren't as tall or as... _irritated_ as you are now."

"Be quiet," Murasakibara says, sounding faintly irritated. "Onii-sama told me I only had to check that all seals were working, and then I could go back to the Human World with Muro-chin. But Miya-chin talks too much now that he's been sealed, and even tries to take over Zaki-chin's body. It's _annoying_." He runs a hand through his hair, frowning. "Annoyances should be take care of."

"You've found me out," Hanamiya shrugs in Haizaki's skin, baring a feral grin—all teeth, sharp and deadly and poisonous. "But without Kuroko-kun's assistance, what power do you hold in Hell? After all, Murasakibara-kun, you may be the Stone King of mountains and caverns, but you hold no power in the eternal darkness of Tartarus. You can never truly seal a demon here without expecting it to backfire in your face."

"I _said_ , you talk too much," Murasakibara repeats, a sharp gleam glinting in his pupil eye. A low rumbling echoes, premonitory, in the distance. "Now be quiet."

" _You_ , make _me_ hold my silence?" Hanamiya asks incredulously, barking out a loud string of chuckles. "Such impudence. But to think that it would be you checking on me today and not Kuroko-kun, _really_. Of course, if Kuroko-kun is not here, it must mean... ah. I _see_. How _interesting_. This should be a development to satisfy me for a lifetime. To think that it would become _this way..._ "

He begins to laugh maniacally, uncontrollably. He is still laughing when the rocks, in unison, levitate from the ground and impale through his chest, splattering poisoned blood across the cavern floor—black, the color of sin, the punishment for all humans who dared to steal power from the Heavenly Creatures.

Murasakibara does not notice when the holy paper seals blacken, and then shrivel away into dust.

* * *

 

"Riko. _Riko_. Wake _up_."

Riko jolts awake, instantly alert as she takes note of her surroundings. She is lying on a firm surface—a sofa, perhaps—in a dimly lit room, with no recollection of how in all seven Elemental Rulers she had ended in there. Instinctively, she reaches for the blades concealed inside the sole of her combat boots, only to find both of her arms restrained tightly behind her back.

Kiyoshi's sheepish face appears in front of her, dark eyes gleaming with embarrassment. "Ah, you're awake, Riko. We had to tie you up because you kept on trying to kill us in your sleep, sorry about that." He sounds far too easy going for somebody who had narrowly escaped death. "You fell asleep on the ride here, remember?"

"No, I do absolutely do _not_... wait a minute, _w_ _e_?" Riko asks, narrowing her eyes, shifting herself up as best as she could with both arms tied behind her. She glances around the room. "There's nobody here except for us two— _ah_."

"This is Takao Kazunari," Kiyoshi introduces, gesturing to the raven-haired young man standing behind him, having been hidden by Kiyoshi's imposing height before. "Takao, this is Aida Riko."

"Hello, Aida-san," Takao says pleasantly, reaching out a hand. He is handsome in a nonconventional way, silvery blue eyes narrowed almost seductively over a slim nose, a few strands of black hair spilling precariously onto his forehead. "It's a great pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, Takao-san," Riko smiles courteously, dipping her head respectfully. "I would shake your hand, but it seems that I really _can't_ in this present situation."

" _Oh_ ," Kiyoshi blushes awkwardly from the side, biting his lower lip. "Um, I'll untie you. Here." He leans over awkwardly, slender fingers working on untying her restraints, his warm breath brushing against the back of her neck.

It takes all her combined willpower and hard-earned immunity to the male gender to keep from blushing.

" _So_ ," Takao says, settling into a comfortable pose: feet crossed, hands clasped together, torso tilted forward, chin jutted out so that it rests casually on his interlaced fingers. He gazes at the scene before him almost lazily, the ghost of a small smile dancing on his lips. "When will you get to the main point, Kiyoshi-kun? You wanted me to do _that_ for you, did you not?"

" _That_?" Riko echoes, confused. Behind her, Kiyoshi straightens upward, the rope falling harmlessly on the sofa. She shakes her arm, trying to regain feeling on her limb; having been denied proper circulation for so long, her hands feel weak and sluggish, responding belatedly to her thoughts.

"Oh, I didn't tell you before, huh?" Kiyoshi laughs nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Well, Takao here can bring Kagami-san back."

Her head whips to the black-haired youth in clear surprise, and she stills, not daring to breathe. "...Wh-wha... h- _how_?"

Takao smiles craftily at her. "As you may not know, _I_ am Midorima-kun's contractor," he says, tapping the armrest of his seat leisurely. The mention of the name alone is enough to make her livid, but she reigns in her anger, sensing better things to follow. Sure enough, Takao brings out a sealed plastic bag from a cabinet beside him, the inside contents indiscernible. "These are some of Midorima-kun's hair, that I've collected over the years. Have a potion master extract the core out of this, and place it inside the body of... Kagami-san, was it not?"

"That's..." Riko's face turns deathly white, her eyes widening. "Those are the forbidden arts! The punishment for taking the power of a Heavenly Being is having your blood become deadly poison, slowly destroying yourself from the inside, but suffering eternally because of your given immortality. You can't... I can't—won't—curse Kagami-kun like that."

Takao drops the bag in her hand. "If you ever want to revive him, this is the only option left. Take it or leave it... my deal with Kiyoshi-kun was simply to give this bag to you. I bear no responsibility in what you do with it."

Riko bites her lip, staring at the bag in conflict. "...I'll take it," she says finally, standing up on shaky footing. From beside her, Kiyoshi catches her underarms and lifts her up into steadier footing. "Thank you for the package, Takao-san," her voice strengthens audibly, no longer as tremulous as before. "I'll be sure use it wisely."

"Please do," Takao says, and holds up a single finger to his lips. " _We're_ counting on it."

* * *

 

The room is musty, almost painfully so. A single stick of incense burns in an open jar, small streams of oil trailing down along the sides of the wood, permeating the air with a sickeningly sweet scent; thin plumes of grey smoke curl and dissipate into nothingness. There are no other sources of light to be found—on the nearby walls, shadows move about with the flicker of the flame, following a rhythm inaudible to human senses.

A young man—lanky, with equally broad shoulders—sits, facing the corner, body positioned in something reminiscent of meditative poses. He is dressed splendidly, from what the candlelight can illuminate: silken robes with brightly stitched designs, brown sculpted shoes made from demon leather, a beaded headdress that drapes all the way to the small of his back. His features are not lacking either, long black hair swept lazily over one eye, a thin, elongated nose, a narrow mouth; if one were to compare him with the handsomest of the Elemental Rulers, Kise, it would be an even match.

Suddenly, the young man jolts, straightening up, snapping open the one uncovered eye to reveal a stunning grey pupil. Slowly, his relaxed expression tightens, until it is completely replaced with a tense wariness:

"Kasamatsu-san, Wakamatsu-san, what are you doing here?"

From the shadows, two forms step out—both are young men as well, around the same build as the first. "I could be saying the same about you, Himuro-san," the person named Kasamatsu says gravely. In looks, he is rather average, a face similar to others in a crowd, black hair and steel blue eyes, although it cannot be said that he is unattractive. "Surely, you've heard about what happened in Seirin."

"I have not," Tatsuya says crisply, slowly rising to his impressive height of six feet; although nowhere as tall as Murasakibara, it is enough to evenly match his contemporaries. "Please, do explain it to me."

Wakamatsu snorts, cracking his knuckles irately. He is of half-foreign ancestry, and it shows in the crook of his cheeks, his blonde hair, his tall nose, although the hazel-brown eyes and thin lips are familiar sights. "The Shadow Lord found a contractor in Seirin," he barks out, narrowing his eyes, "but he—the contractor, I mean—did something to displease the Heavenly Emperor. The Earth King was sent to dispose of him, as well as collect the Shadow Lord.."

"And?" Tatsuya says, raising an eyebrow. "Why should I care about this?"

"I'm not finished yet," Wakamatsu snaps, his tone brusque and impatient. "One of the Seirin warriors, Takao-san owes something or whatnot for him, but anyway, he gave Seirin some of the Earth King's hair. They're trying to revive the Shadow contractor. He's one of _our_ kind,"

Tatsuya stares, his lips parting slightly in a skewed imitation of a gape. "The last time that happened..." he trails off, voice becoming anxious. "I thought the Shadow Lord gave up on _our_ type of contractors after what happened the _first time_. Does Mayuzumi-san or Imayoshi-san know about this new development?"

"I would believe so," Kasamatsu says, scowling. "After all, those two know _everything_. I wouldn't be very surprised if they planned the whole thing with Takao-san, actually."

Wakamatsu hisses in annoyance. "This puts a new obstacle in our plan. How are we supposed to include him in?"

Tatsuya's expression becomes pensive. "There _are_ , certainly, uses that we can make for him to do," he says, and begins walking around the tenebrous room. "After the _first_ disaster with Ogiwara-san..."

" _Don't talk about that traitor_ ," Wakamatsu growls. "We swore to never speak of him again, that floor-licking Elemental Ruler _dog_."

"Calm down, Wakamatsu-san," Kasamatsu says placidly, mumbling something about loud brats needing anger managment under his breath. "You're going to spontaneously combust at this rate, with all that poison in your blood."

"I can't, even if I tried," Wakamatsu grumbles, but is noticeably subdued. "Well, we just came here to inform you about this. Any questions?"

"What was the name of the contractor?" Tatsuya asks, fingering his necklace. A foreboding feeling creeps up his spine, tingles of unexplained cold prickling against his exposed skin.

Kasamatsu stares at him strangely. "Kagami Taiga. Why?"

_Kagamitaigakagamitaiga **kagamitaiga** —of course it had to be him why of all seven elemental rulers why it wasn't fair wasn't right so why why WHY—_

"Nothing," he replies coldly, schooling a composed expression on his face. "I was simply curious."

"Alright," Kasamatsu shrugs, and places both fingers on the small flame of the incense stick. It flickers precariously close to extinguishing—once, twice—before a small light Portal appears on the table. "Take care."

Tatsuya watches the two of them disappear into the Portal, their large forms slowly fading into nothingness. When he is certain of their absence, he begins to laugh and laugh and laugh, until his throat runs dry and cracked—and then he starts to sob.

His left eye, hidden under his long bangs, glows a deep, guttural crimson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> he Elemental Ruler True Names:  
> (Adopted Names on left, Given Names on right)
> 
> Akashi Seijuro—Greatest Weakness: Shadow
> 
> Kise Ryouta—Greatest Weakness: Moon, Sky
> 
> Momoi Satsuki—Greatest Weakness: Sun, Sky
> 
> Midorama Shintarou—Greatest Weakness: Stone
> 
> Aomine Daiki—Greatest Weakness: Earth
> 
> Murasakibara Atsushi—Greatest Weakness: Water
> 
> Kuroko Tetsuya—Greatest Weakness: Sky, Sun, Moon
> 
> All Elemental Rulers have two names: their given names, and their adopted names. The given names are 'sacred', as they can be used as leverage against Elemental Rulers by humans and demons alike in sorcery, and hold a respectable amount of power over each Elemental Ruler. Adopted names are 'common' names that were created by the Elemental Lords themselves, and as they are 'fake', cannot be used against a Elemental Ruler.
> 
> The amount of power using a given Elemental Ruler name gives is wholly dependent on which type of spell is cast against it. For example, casting a 'Sun' spell against the name Shintarou (Midorama) would be utterly useless, while casting a 'Stone' spell would deal devastating damage.


	6. Chapter IV

Kuroko presses a hand on a wall of his prison, willing the crystal to dissipate away into darkness. The outer layers chip off slightly, revealing black obsidian underneath, before the hole is repaired instantly—further efforts prove fruitless as well.

"Don't try to escape, Tetsuya. You know it can't break."

He does not give any particular reaction, tracing the surface of the wall. "The greatest weakness of the sky is the shadow, Onii-san. _You_ should know that."

Midorima mutters something incomprehensible, pressing a hand on his younger brother's shoulder and pulling Kuroko away from the pile of shattered crystal and heavenly dust. "You are a fool to believe so. Onii-sama is absolute. He will resort to much to get what he wants."

Kuroko stares indifferently at his palm, trails of golden blood falling down the creases. "Is that what you really believe, Onii-san? Who is it that says that Onii-sama cannot be defeated, if not himself?"

"Che. How naive, Tetsuya." Instantly, long leafy vines wrap themselves around the wound, budding white flower buds peeking through the undergrowth. Another wave, and the mess at the wall all but disappears, and emptiness reigns over again.

"I can't understand your thoughts, Onii-san."

"I could say the same of you."

"Onii-sama will be unable to keep me here forever."

"Do you honestly believe your own words?"

"...I do."

"He was extremely furious the last time you escaped him. Only Momoi could console him in the end."

"I made a mistake, getting attached. I thought I could escape him by blending in with humans. Ogiwara-kun must be rolling in his grave now; _you_ were the one who killed both of them, after all."

"Don't mention _his_ filthy name in this room."

"Then where will I be able to say it?"

"Never again." A new voice interrupts the fray—Akashi lounges carelessly against a wall, smiling, both eyes gleaming in the brilliant light of the room. The last of his Sky Portal disappears into the air, leaving behind only a stray breeze that disappears into the staleness of the air. "Tetsuya, you must never forget that you belong to me. The names of lower beings should not fall from lips as pure as yours."

"I am not pure, Onii-sama," Kuroko says, sounding choked. "I was the reason why Kagami-kun is dead and forever separate from the eternal wheels of reincarnation. I abandoned Seiren for the likes of _you_. I gave up on _Ogiwara-kun_ —"

"And yet you were reluctant to leave them all in the end," Akashi replies silkily, taking a step forward. "How precious they were to you, hmm? That expression on your face when I told you of that human's death, it was the most beautiful thing in the world. Will you make something more beautiful if I kill every mortal at this, ah, _Seirin_ camp of yours?"

Kuroko's breath hitches. " _You dare_ —"

"Yes, _yes_ , that face. How wonderful it is to the eyes," Akashi croons, and raises a hand to Kuroko's chin. Kuroko trembles but does not move, pale blue eyes shaking. "Don't worry. I won't kill them, but only for your sake. Remember that their lives dangle at the very movement of my fingers. Shintarou, leave us. Tell the others not to disturb this place until after dinner."

Midorima nods, flicking a beanstalk seed onto the ground. Immediately, it takes root into the dusty crystal flooring and shoots upwards, brushing slightly against the ceiling, before the entire being crumbles into pieces and forms a large Vegetation Portal. One moment, the Earth King is walking forward, robes trailing behind him; the next, only a cold draft and ashes remain.

"You will be stopped," Kuroko whispers slowly, and his tone is almost resentful. "Someone will take your place—no matter be it demon, human, half-breed, they _will_ be rid of you one day, Onii-sama. You cannot honestly think that you can kill innocents as you please, with no repercussions."

" _Shhh_ ," Akashi says, and presses a chaste kiss on Kuroko's cheek. "I am absolute, Tetsuya. No one will ever disobey me, not even Mother. Now, you have been good while I was gone, I trust?"

Kuroko turns away, and his eyes are utterly empty. It is the face of one who has lost everything.

* * *

 

"Why did you take us here?" Hyuuga grumbles, staring at the dense undergrowth around them with distrust. Beside him, Koganei stifles a yawn, blinking blearily at Riko with large brown eyes.

"We're taking back Kagami," Riko says, determined, and holding out a familiar grey urn. At the name of their old comrade, the entirety of Seirin tenses, a unquiet silent filling the space. "I've— _Kiyoshi_ 's found someone who knows how to bring him back. We just need to extract the the core out of the Earth King, Midorima's, hair, and then we'll be—"

"You can't," Izuki cuts in, frowning. "Whatever that person told you, they _lied_ , Riko. It's impossible to extract the core out of an Elemental Ruler's _anything_ without using the holy text. Which _we don't have_. And it's a forbidden art, Riko—you should _know_ the punishment for stealing power, after all."

Riko ducks under a low branch, hands on her hips as she sets the jar onto the ground. "I'm doing this for Kagami. Don't you want him back as well?"

Izuki stares back, unwavering. "He will suffer."

"He will understand."

"He won't want this."

"And what do you know, Izuki?" Riko says, voice half-choked. "He's _dead_."

Izuki looks at her, hopeful expression and pleading eyes, and feels something inside of him wilt away. "...Don't regret it," he says, not bothering to keep up his cheerful front.

"Here's the text," Riko says, taking a small book from her inside pocket. "I had to bribe a lot of influential and possibly very important people to obtain it. Furihata, you're the only competent potion master we have. Read it, please."

Furihata holds the weathered leather cover apprehensively, frowning. _"The Universe gave birth for seven days and seven nights, and then, weary of living, perished, and her body became the inky darkness, and her hair, tiny pinpricks of shining light._

_"The imposing eldest son, Akashi, became the heavens, and ruled over all things under his domain fairly and justly. The second son, Kise, who was radiant and beautiful, became the sun, and shined over the skies with his brilliant light. The third-born, Momoi, was gentle and lovely, and became the moon, sending tender beams of moonlight down at all that gazed at her pleasant face._

_"The fourth son, Midorima, who was handsome and stern, became the fertile and lush earth, and all sorts of wonderful things blossomed and flourished with him. The bestial fifth son, Aomine, became the water, and could be as gentle as a burbling creek or as fierce as the ocean tide. The sixth son, Murasakibara, became the mountains and deep caverns, and all that saw him were awed by his imposing magnificence._

_"The last child, Kuroko, who had left_ _his mother's womb after her decease, and was of such haunting beauty that all who laid eyes on his face could never forget it again, became the darkness and the shadows and death, and then the World was thus complete._ "

As Furihata finishes the verse, the holy text in his hands crumbles to dust, leaving behind a single glowing fragment with a rune etched on it.

"T-this is what I actually need for the s-synthesis," Furihata stutters, looking apprehensively at his companions' collective look of horror, and holds up the rune to the afternoon light. "It's what's known as the Tear of the Heavenly Emperor. The Holy Text was just a container for this."

"How will you prepare this for use?" Riko asks, curious. Furihata had been the indentured servant of a famed potion-master before Seirin had bought his freedom, although he retained little of his prior knowledge of the past. If he made a mistake, the results would be disastorous.

He gulps. "I-I fuse the rune with the hair, and crush it into powder before placing it over the body. It's a relatively s-simple process, actually, but the ingredients are hard to obtain."

Izuki stands from his crouching position over the jar that contains Kagami's ashes. "Are you entirely certain that nothing will go wrong with the process, Furihata?"

Furihata looks slightly intimidated, before looking up with steely eyes. "Y-yes. I am."

"You better be," grumbles Hyuuga. "Now—"

A loud crackling noise echoes through the air, shaking the ground in large tremors. Riko is at her feet immediately, climbing one of the trees in a savage grace, and reaches the top with a final well-timed swing.

"What is it?" Koganei asks.

Riko does not answer at first, too preoccupied with whatever it is that horrifies her so. When she finally speaks, her voice is shaky and weak, and carries through the ears of Seirin like the fragile melody of a music box:

"T-the camp. It's _destroyed_."

* * *

 

The hooded figure enters the vacant bar quietly, settling on the seat furthest away from the exit. The bartender does not bother to look up, instead pouring a vial of crimson liquid into a glass.

"The usual?"

"Yes, thank you."

The bartender grunts, sliding the drink across the counter. "Haven't seen you in a while."

"Mmm."

"How are your brats? One of them should be reaching drinking age now."

"Tatsuya? No, he's still seventeen."

"Looks like a seasoned warrior, I'll say. Bring him in anytime. Nobody'll notice."

"He's preoccupied with Yousen right now. I haven't seen or heard from him in seven years."

"How about the other one?"

"He stopped sending letters two weeks ago."

"Dead?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out."

The figure takes a long drink from the cup. There is a stale lull in conversation, before the bartender speaks again.

"I've heard rumours about the reappearance of the Elemental Rulers in one of the camps. Might've something to do with your kid. Happened about, oh, two, three weeks ago?"

"Which one?"

"Seirin."

The cup clashes against the wooden counter loudly.

"That your kid?"

"Yes."

"Ah."

"Details."

"From what I've heard, the Shadow Lord approached him and suggested a contract."

"Did he accept?"

"Yes."

"Then why would—"

"The Heavenly Emperor was not very pleased with your boy, it seems. He sent the Earth King himself to dispose of him. And..."

"And?"

"And now it seems Seirin is trying to revive him."

The hooded figure stands up, shaking with anger, before slowly settling in the seat again. "Do they understand the risks?"

"I do not think so."

"How did they gain the necessary materials?"

"Their coach has connections in the right places. She's known as the Amazon Queen."

"The daughter of the Aida family."

"Yes."

"She has not yet reached Tatsuya's age."

"A prodigy, they call her."

"But she is inexperienced with the world."

"She is still a child, yes."

"Have they finished the synthesis?"

"Not yet."

"It must be stopped, before it can happen. What happened sixteen years ago was a disaster beyond anything we could possibly control."

"I can still remember the day when Ogiwara Shigehiro disappeared. It seems he is still in hiding, in the Underworld Caverns."

"He is?"

"You learn a lot when you tend to drunk warriors."

"I knew him personally back then. He was a good person, like a close friend to me. If he had still been of sane mind, he would have been horrified at what he had caused."

"A real pity, then. He was still a child when it happened, wasn't he?"

"Not yet sixteen."

A pause. "Does your boy have enough mental fortitude to withstand the synthesis?"

"He does not. That's why I'm worried."

"Ah."

"Yes."

"More?"

"Yes, please."

The bartender collects the cup, adding the contents of another vial into it. "If my late father knew that a _vampire_ was one of my regular customers, he would die of shame."

"Must you tell me that every time?"

"He certainly would have palpitations."

"I am a half-breed, not a true demon."

"So you say."

"My mother killed my father and drank his blood as nourishment when giving birth to me."

"Are you attempting to comfort me?"

"No."

"As I thought."

"I wouldn't be living if I didn't have these fangs. Show more respect."

"Of course, my dear Alexandra."

The figure slowly inches off the hood, revealing a beautiful foreign woman with bright yellow hair and brilliant green eyes. When she blinks, her eyes flash red, before reverting to their former color. A circular pendant hangs over her forehead, reflecting the candlelight with every movement.

"I daresay that Kagami will show more restraint than Ogiwara-kun, though, through the synthesis. Both my charges are half-breeds as well."

"Oho. I should have known. Monsters only help themselves, is that not so?"

Alexandra raises the cup to her lips. "That is very true, my good friend," she laughs, and a trickle of the crimson liquid trails down her chin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Various Types of Portals:
> 
> Sky Portal—Can be summoned in altitudes greater than 50 meters above sea level  
> Atmospheric Portal—A variation of the Sky Portal. Can be summoned in areas of high atmospheric pressure, regardless of elevation
> 
> Light Portal—Can be summoned within a five meter radius of any light source (note: effectiveness of Portal depends on the skill of the caster and magic expended to complete the task)  
> Illumination Portal—A variation of the Light Portal. Can be summoned with a strong light force, i.e. sunlight, moonlight, bright lights, explosions, etc...  
> Heat Portal—A variation of the Light Portal. Can be summoned in conditions of extreme temperatures, including boiling point, freezing point, melting point, etc...
> 
> Stone Portal—Can be summoned in areas with a 50% mineral composition within a five meter radius. The stone used must be naturally formed, as artificially created stones can cause adverse effects to the caster because of large exposure to pure magic (most artificial stones are made by stone-sorcerers by rearranging magic and compressing it into matter)
> 
> Water Portal—Can be summoned within a five meter radius of any water source (note: effectiveness of Portal depends on the skill of the caster and magic expended to complete the task)  
> Humidity Portal—Can be summoned in area with high humidity (note: effectiveness of Portal depends on the skill of the caster and magic expended to complete the task)
> 
> Earth Portal—Can be summoned within a five meter radius of any soil source (note: effectiveness of Portal depends on the skill of the caster and magic expended to complete the task)  
> Vegetation Portal—A variation of the Earth Portal. Can be summoned in areas with any form of vegetation within a five meter radius. Effectiveness of Portal is determined by the variety of plant and lack of defects
> 
> Shadow Portal—Can be summoned within a five meter radius of a shadow other than the caster's (note: effectiveness of Portal depends on the skill of the caster and magic expended to complete the task)  
> Darkness Portal—A variation of the Shadow Portal. Can be summoned in areas with no light
> 
> Blood Portal—Can be summoned by a large amount of human blood. Effectiveness of Portal depends on the amount of blood used (extra effective if the user uses their own blood); however, this differs from normal Portals as Blood Portals do not require magic expenditure (due to the high amount of magic in human blood). Blood Portals are typically linked to the Dark Arts, and are banned in most Training Camps
> 
> Standard Portal—Popular with sorcerers that do not learn the Elemental Arts. Can be summoned with the expenditure of magic, typically around one-third of a caster's total capacity
> 
> Simplified Portal—Most commonly used Portal. Can be used without magic—instead, summoned by Portal Seals, slips of Holy Paper with magic infused within. Portal Seals are cheap and easy to find, making travel lighter and faster; however, they are also more dangerous to use than standard travel. (Note: the Simplified Portal is notably slower than its archaic counterparts, partly because users typically do not use their own magic to summon the Portal, but also because new assembly-line techniques used in factories to mass-produce Portal Seals are largely ineffective and use as little magic as possible in making them)
> 
> Portals are the standard transportation for warriors, sorcerers, and the like: teleportation devices that travel through the fragile space-time continuum to arrive from one area to another. However, few civilians use them other than the occasional important event, as the unpredictability of Simplified Portals have nearly doubled over the past decade.
> 
> A skilled caster can teleport across a wide rage; likewise, a sorcerer with limited magic can only go as far as his/her magic supply will permit. The Sanada Formula, created by Naoto Sanada in the study of Magick, proves the range of a Portal to be range=(Magic*skill)/exhaustion, often simplified as r=(M*s)/e, in which Magic refers to total amount of magic supply (including amount exhausted) and exhaustion refers to magic spent prior to casting.
> 
> Typically, the caster will only create a portal that suits their elemental type; using a element that is not their unique element will drain up to forty-percent more magic supply.


	7. Chapter V

"What do you mean, destroyed?" Hyuuga says gruffly, but his voice is taut with barely contained anxiety.

Riko pauses, almost as if she were lost in thought. When she speaks again, her voice is mournful. "The entire building's been torn down to rubble. Decimated, practically. There's nothing left but scattered debris. If we'd still been in there, we'd probably be dead by now."

Someone curses, a low, dangerous sound. "... _Midorima_."

"Why would he do such a thing?" Izuki mutters, noticeably subdued. "He killed Kagami and took Kuroko. There's absolutely no reason for him to suddenly decide on killing us."

"He wants to destroy the evidence," Riko says on the tree, straightening her spine in the universal motion of an epiphany. The branch wobbles unsteadily beneath her feet, and she jumps to a steadier one a few feet down. "He wants to erase all signs of anyone that's been associated with Kuroko. There's something he's trying to hide, or someone he wants to hide something from. It's not just about killing us anymore—if he'd wanted to do that, he would have killed us when he took Kuroko. It's about keeping something secret."

"Like what?" Koganei asks, pacing around nervously. "Was there anything Kuroko-san left behind that could be considered dangerous?"

"I don't believe it's like anything that," Kiyoshi says, frowning slightly. "It's probably more of the fact that Kuroko-kun had stayed in Seirin itself that could be used against Midorima. Like, perhaps, a leftover scent or magic imprint."

Riko snorts. "You can't track magic imprints. Everyone knows that. Unless..."

"Demons can," Hyuuga says, at the same time Riko opens her mouth to speak. "Demonic races can track down holy magic. Elemental Lords are naturally imbued with holy abilities, so they're easy to detect and find."

A noticeable hush falls over the small audience. "You're thinking too much, Hyuuga," Riko finally says, but her expression betrays her fear. "Why would a demon want anything to do with Kuroko, of all the Elemental Lords?"

"Ogiwara Shigehiro," Kiyoshi murmurs speculatively, turning around. "That's the only demon I could think of that's related to Kuroko-kun. His Contractor from sixteen years ago."

"You don't mean...?"

"Yes," Kiyoshi says, his eyes glinting amber in the light. "The man that massacred all of Meiko Camp, ingested the blood of Akashi, and became a demon."

Silence. Outside, somewhere far, far away, a hawk screeches over the sound of the wind rustling over the trees.

Hyuuga grunts. "You're overanalyzing, Kiyoshi," he says. "There's no way that Ogiwara's still alive. What was left of his remains were thrown under the Winter Caves, weren't they? Nobody escapes from that place."

"Mmm," Kiyoshi hums, shrugging.

"And you, boy," Hyuuga says, turning back to Furihata, who still holds the rune in his hands, unmoving. "Don't you have a task to do? We can discuss demons and Midorima's motives later. Kagami is still our number one priority."

Furihata blushes, flustered. "Ah, Hyuuga-san, I'm so sorry!" He carefully studies the fragment, before setting it gingerly in one hand and spreading Midorima's hairs over it. "I need magic for this next part, but I don't have enough."

"I'm your support for this one," Izuki says, sending a pure blast of energy over to the younger boy.

Furihata stares at the rune with intense concentration, diffusing the energy into tiny shards of condensed magic. In a movement almost too fast to see, the shards attach to the rune, dissolving into nothingness. The moment is over too soon, and Riko even expresses a tiny sigh of disappointment, until the rune explodes and the outer layers splatter over all the present area.

" _Elementorum, subvenite sanguine peccatoris malitiae magnae qui daemonium._ "

A small golden ball glows in Furihata's hands, spinning rapidly until all that is visible is a blur. Small magic crystals arrange themselves around it in a spectacular amalgamation of colors, the Six Elements visible—red, for the fiery streaks of dawn and vivid watercolor strokes of sunset against the mighty sky; yellow, for the glaring intensity and blazing brilliance of the proud sun; pink, for the luminous rosy rays and tender glow of the unyielding moon; green, for the fruitful and flourishing bountifulness of the substantial earth; blue, for the wicked fury of the trespassed oceans and gentle soothing of the forgiving rivers in water; purple, for the majestic mountains and resplendent caverns etched from stone; and finally, black, for the sinners and mourners and the silence of death and emptiness within the shadows.

"This is the Advanced Evolution of the Tear of the Heavenly Emperor," Furihata says, revealing a small transparent gem, perhaps the size of a fingernail, inside the palm of his hand. "We have to spread this over Kagami's ashes, and hopefully his soul will return from Limbo to rejoin his body. Monsters like the smell of this, though, so be prepared for some unwanted company. We just need to hold out until Kagami revives."

"Alright, then," Riko says, jumping from her branch down onto the ground with practiced ease, carefully avoiding the black slime that had formed as a result of the explosion. "Let's get moving. You heard the man, we have to set up camp before sundown. If you're good, I'll even make dinner."

The sound of horror that erupts from the occupants of the wood is certainly enough to scare any monster lurking nearby.

* * *

Takao yawns, scratching his back absentmindedly as he leans back onto the firm surface of the sofa. It is a scene easily overlooked if not for the dark splotches revealed on the underside of the cushions, macabre patterns dying the silken fabric a deep, guttural red.

" _Shin-chan_ ," he drawls, and the man standing against the wall behind him flinches in pain. "I heard about a mishap somewhere in Seirin yesterday, hmm?"

"I told you not to call me that, Takao," Midorima says in a strained fashion, crossing his arms stiffly. His face is pale, a visible scar present over his cheek that reeks of demon magic. "Keep in mind that I can kill you at any moment, any time without batting an eye. Watch your mouth."

Takao tilts his head to the side. "You're no fun at all, Midorima-kun," he complies reluctantly, playing with a strange round object with his fingers. "You took the Shadow Lord from Seirin, I heard?"

"None of your business," Midorima snaps, small thorny vines appearing from underneath his robes and waving wildly in the air.

"You know, I recently got ahold of some, ah, most _interesting_ news," Takao says, disregarding the vines entirely. "It seems that Seirin Camp has now been reduced to a pile of dust. Why would somebody do this to such a small training camp, a _-ah_ ~? Could it be there was something important that had to be hidden in Seirin, something _nobody was supposed to know_?"

"You overstep yourself, Takao," Midorima hisses, his pale coloring dotted with small patches of red. "This is your last warning, before I dispose of you."

Takao laughs, a dismissive, arrogant sound. "Shin-chan—", a painful flinch, "—could you really bear to part from me after so long? You're so cold, you know, telling your Contractor such mean things. Does the Heavenly Emperor know about how harsh you really are? Does he know about how cold-heartedly you slew those innocent warriors from Seirin?"

"..."

"Shin-chan—", another flinch, and a choking sound, "—could it be that you disobeyed the Heavenly Emperor? Are you no longer a loyal dog?"

Midorima glowers. " _Takao_."

Takao smiles brilliantly, shifting his position of the sofa. "Well?"

"Onii-sama is too arrogant to see the truth about the demons' growing powers," Midorima mutters, "and Murasakibara and Aomine follow his orders mindlessly without question. Onii-san is too shallow to care about the state of this world, and only Onee-sama can see the truth, but Akashi favors her too much for her to risk going against him. As for Kuroko, he is out of the question. I may be a loyal dog, but I will go against orders if it means preventing another Ogiwara Shigehiro. I know that the humans from Seirin plan to resummon the Contractor with the blood of one of my siblings. Killing them is the only option now."

Takao's lips part, until a full set of unnerving white teeth are exposed. "I see," he says, and opens his eyes fully to reveal almost glowing blue irises. And then, quieter, he adds, "how interesting, _Shin-chan_ ~"

* * *

 

"— _t_ _hreads a_ _needle through both eyes, sees the truth and painfully dies."_

"What a disgusting song, Momocchi~."

"Hmm~?"

Momoi yawns quietly from her perch on a small woven loveseat, stifling most of the noise with delicate slender fingers over plump lips, the other hand supporting a miniature harp-like instrument. From outside the Palace hall, the waning moon shines from a high alcove window, illuminating the marble flooring with a dim glow. Above her, Kise shifts on his own armchair, supported by thin tendril-like rays of light wrapped around the legs.

"Akacchi-nii-sama is so furious now, really," Kise says, crossing his legs. "Who would have thought—"

"—that someone would betray him like this, you mean?" Momoi giggles, tucking a loose strand of rose-colored hair behind her ear. "I wonder what Tetsu-kun will do when he finds out that Akashi couldn't, ah, keep his promise of keeping his pet humans safe? I want to be the first to see his face. I'm sure it will be _even more_ enjoyable to watch then when his little dog died."

They exchange a look, one wide smile mirroring another. Momoi's lips stretch her cheeks almost painfully, reaching the edges of her face until there is nothing more to smile with.

"I wonder how someone so cruel—"

"—like me is your sister, hmm?" Momoi responds, wetting her lips with irony. "I like to wonder that myself, sometimes." She plucks a few strings absentmindedly, the dissonant melody echoing into empty space. The walls of the palace, white limestone pillars arranged against each other tightly until no gap is left, seem to press against the very sky, stretching out into deep infinity until some mockery of an end is achieved.

How very quaint.

"Momocchi, was it you who killed Kuroko's humans?" Kise asks suddenly, the graveness in his voice alone enough to garner all of Momoi's attention. She watches golden orbs, brighter, maybe, then the very sun, dance within a pale white sclera, promising nothing but gaping, empty oblivion.

She shakes her head slowly, perhaps in part from fear. "I wouldn't turn against Akashi. Not now, anyway, no."

"Do you think it was Midorimacchi who did—?"

"No. Midorima-kun's too loyal to Akashi to do such a thing, Daiki-kun's too much of an idiot to have the brains to pull it off, and Murasakibara's too lazy." Momoi plucks another vindictive note, listening to the sound vanish away into nothingness. "And you wouldn't do something as noticeable like this, Ryouta. If you really wanted them gone for good, I don't think even Akashi would realize it until it was too late."

Kise pouts. "You're so _mean_ to me now, Momocchi. Remember when you still followed me around, chanting _onii-chan, onii-chan, onii-chan_?"

"I never did such a thing. Don't go around making things up."

"You were so cute back then," he laughs, a low, suave sound. "You used to carry Kurokocchi in your arms and all the servants would stop doing their jobs and stare because of how pretty a picture the two of you were."

Momoi frowns. "That was a long time ago, and I never called you _onii-chan_. We were the same age, anyway."

"Whatever you say," Kise says, his voice changing from a childish whine to a taunting murmur. "Our minds were once linked together, so don't bother denying it."

 _Our minds may have been linked together in the past, but we both know that we never trusted each other enough to share anything back then_ , Momoi thinks to herself quietly. _A_ _nyway, in the past_ _I was much too afraid of you to even speak to you, Ryouta. I still am, in some ways. After all, beneath that foolish mask of yours, there is nothing but a monster._


	8. Chapter VI

Imayoshi drinks from the cup of wine, allowing the alcohol to burn the back of his throat. It is strong Rakuzan wine, and he approves wholeheartedly of it. Touou, despite its reputation for being barbaric and lawless, has only weak, bland beer to offer.

Mayuzumi clears his throat impatiently. He is still young and therefore boundlessly foolish, despite the intellectual mask that he loves to put up. Most of the time, Imayoshi is only amused by these pointless actions, and so doesn't bother to reprimand his companion for his impertinence. This is not one of those times.

He gulps down another sip pointedly, although the younger man doesn't seem to share his understanding. Oh well. He would learn, sooner or later, as all Imayoshi's associates did, why exactly the Sea King had chose him as his contractor. Unlike Akashi, who seemed to pick his own contractors on a whim, Aomine only chose those he held genuine respect for.

"We need to discuss Takao," Mayuzumi says. His grey eyes, the same lovely blank eyes that had attracted the attention of the Heavenly Emperor himself, clouds over with annoyance. "We've been allowing him too much free reign."

Imayoshi stays silent, allowing his lips to curl up in a mockery of a real smile. Takao is perhaps the only person that he truly connects to in their little alliance, because underneath both of their exteriors of flesh and bone, they are virtually one and the same. Somehow had said a quote like this before, hadn't they? _Only monsters know other monsters_. And they are both monsters, really.

"Are you listening?" Mayuzumi snaps, agitatedly. "He gave that hair to Seirin willingly. They were going to create another contractor like us, before the Earth King crushed them into pieces."

"Good riddance," Imayoshi says mildly. Seirin was quite the thorn in his side before; now that they are gone, he is free to bargain with the Shadow Lord should he appear. The death he celebrates in particular is that of the Amazon Queen. They had never liked each other, and he hates her with a passion still.

Mayuzumi seems frustrated. "I'm not talking about Seirin, I'm talking about Takao. If Midorima hadn't intervened, our plan could have fallen into pieces." He paces back and forth behind Imayoshi, his body falling into a constant rhythm. "We need to find some way to restrain him."

Imayoshi finishes his wine, and stands up to pour himself another cup. "You make it sound like we had a coherent plan in the first place."

"You're not listening!" Mayuzumi shouts, slamming both of his palms against the table. Some of Imayoshi's wine spills out from the cup, staining the white tablecloth a dark purple shade. It will be hard to remove, and Imayoshi feels a moment of sympathy for the poor maid designated to clean it. Or, to be more accurate, he would, but he holds no love for those that throw away their self-dignity for the barest semblance of power. At least in Touou, the weak know their places.

"Takao's getting too full of himself. We have to show him, somehow, that _we_ are the ones with the power in this group." Mayuzumi doesn't seem to realize how ironic he sounds at this moment, and Imayoshi starts feeling slightly vexated. Dealing with arrogant, self-confident youngsters that think themselves to be the best have never been very high up in his list of things he'd like to do.

" _Mayuzumi_ ," Imayoshi hisses, and opens his eyes fully. Mayuzumi seems startled with the sight of his pupils, which now glow a sinister black in the darkness, and silences immediately. "You seem to forget that you yourself are just a replacement for Nijimura."

The younger man recoils, like he's been slapped. It's a good expression on his face, Imayoshi thinks. Much better than those obstinate scowls.

"I'm glad you understand the position you're in right now," Imayoshi says pleasantly, and downs the remainder of his cup. It burns wonderfully. And then: "I'm looking forward to meeting with the others next week, about our alliance with Hanamiya."

Mayuzumi doesn't answer.

* * *

 

_don't do it_

_dust in mouth_

_can't breath_

_hurts hurts **hurts**_

_he's a liar_

_"—working—"_

_"—ink he's—mov—"_

_"—ihata said tha—hours—ight now—"_

_"—gami—Kaga—you idio—"_

"WAKE UP!"

Red eyes snap open, and Kagami wakes.

* * *

The woods are silent, and unmoving. Perhaps even quieter than Hell.

Hanamiya sits under a tree, at a loss for the first time in millenniums. There are no seals fashioned from holy paper wrapped around his limbs, no grains of Hell-dust clogging his lungs with every breath he takes. It has been almost a hundred-thousand years since he was sealed within the depths of Hell, and he had long given up feeling the warmth of the sun's rays against his skin.

And yet here he sits, safely hidden within the mortal world, free.

 _How much of a fucking moron has Akashi become?_ Hanamiya wonders, because sending that imbecile Murasakibara with his childish temperament to visit Satan is the most idiotic thing that _anyone_ could ever do. Just a few simple goads, and then the idiot had attacked. Imayoshi had been right, after all.

Haizaki's soul doesn't respond, although it is to be expected. It has remained dormant for the past ninety-nine thousand years, allowing Hanamiya to take control of the body when he lost his own. Humans are so fragile, really. Even though Haizaki had consumed more than his fill of Kise's blood, his soul had withered where his body hadn't.

Such a pity, but Hanamiya isn't complaining.

Still, since Haizaki's conveniently out of commission now, Hanamiya might as well do his old friend a favour for the body. Maybe destroy a few Elemental Lords, show that upstart Akashi his place. And poor little Kuroko-kun, locked up by his siblings like some exotic pet; it would be easy, with a few well-placed words here and there, to convince the youngest of the Elemental Lords to join his side.

Well. He can worry about all of that later, when he's regained all his former strength. But first, he'll have to pay a few house calls to some... _old friends_.

He closes his eyes, gathering his magic within him in a tightly compressed ball. The subsequent release of it is minute, only noticeable by those that are looking specifically for it, or those that share his flesh and blood. And there are six of them out there, he knows, all of them almost as powerful, if not just, as himself, that will follow his every order to the word.

Sure enough, the air around him immediately stills, almost getting colder. A moment later, and a window is seemingly cut through space, a hand reaching out for from some other faraway dimension.

Furuhashi arrives first. He looks the same as ever, although time has clearly not been kind on him; his eyes, once filled with scathing anger towards the world, are now two eternal black holes, filled with indifferent apathy. A hundred-thousand years is a long time, even for immortal beings such as them.

"Hanamiya," Furuhashi greets. He seems tired, just tired of the world and living. If Hanamiya didn't know any better, he would have guessed that Furuhashi of now was the Demon of Sloth, not the fiery Demon of Wrath he had once been.

It's pathetic.

"Furuhashi," Hanamiya returns curtly. No matter. As long as Furuhashi is still as strong now as he had been so many years ago, Hanamiya doesn't care if he's become a raving lunatic or a coward. "It's good to see you again." Lies.

There's another moment of silence, where nobody moves, before a shimmering Light portal appears in the vicinity. Hara appears next, as sunny-eyed as ever, his grey hair glinting in the afternoon sunlight. He's apparently taken to eating sweets, his mouth filled with a strange bright pink candy that gives Hanamiya a headache just from looking at it too long.

Well. At least some things have yet to change.

"Yo, captain," Hara says, cheerfully. He chews the candy, which evidently has an elastic texture that allows him to mold it with his tongue and form bubbles. Hanamiya is slightly intrigued, yet repulsed by this new creation. "It's been a long time, hasn't it. You look differ—"

He doesn't get to finish, because just at that moment, two Portals appear at the same time. A stone well rises from the ground just as water materializes from the air, falling into it neatly, and it's much too perfectly timed for Hanamiya to dismiss it as simple coincidence. Just as well, because it's Gold Jr. and Silver, who probably haven't went through a single day of their lives without showing off somehow. At least Hanamiya has _restraint_.

Gold Jr. makes a face, like he smells something disgusting as he looks around the surroundings. Hanamiya doesn't give a fuck, and ignores him; Silver behaves a little better, probably because he's a moron with the IQ of an ape.

Why does Hanamiya keep them around again? Oh yeah, because he has to. In technical terms, the whole lot of them would be referred to as his siblings, since they were all created the same way. He feels no familial affection for them. Actually, make that no affection at all.

"Haven't seen you for a while," Gold Jr. drawls, a sarcastic undertone lining his words. He's evidently forgot who exactly is in charge, and Hanamiya intends to remind him how a tenth of an eon hasn't changed a thing. "I like your new skin," he says, referring to Haizaki's body.

"Heh," snarks Silver. He looks even stupider than he had the last time they'd met. Hanamiya hadn't thought that possible.

Oh well. He'll discipline them at some later point time. But first, he's still waiting for Seto and Yamazaki. He frowns. Seto, being Seto, was probably asleep when he sent his magic pulse, but Yamazaki has no such excuse.

As if the other Demon had heard his thoughts, soil suddenly erupts from a patch of forest, earth splattering everywhere in the vicinity. Yamazaki scowls, his orange-red hair contrasting with the paleness of his skin. "You interrupted me at a vital moment," he complains, gesturing to the splattered potion ingredients all over the front of his clothing. "That wasted a week of work."

"You've had a hundred milleniums to make as many potions as you wanted," Hanamiya says brusquely, dismissing the others complaints with a flippant tone. Indeed, it seems that all of the other demons have grown impertinent and lax in his absence. He'll have to reassert his dominance, show them who the real leader of the operation is.

"How cruel, captain," Hara teases, lilting his voice to create a melodic effect when he speaks. He doesn't fool anybody with that innocent act of his, not when they've watched him orchestrate atrocities greater than anything Hanamiya himself could ever dream of. He's not the Demon of Gluttony for nothing; inside this pretty little body is a mind with an endless appetite for bloodshed and pain.

Yamazaki slumps, looking to all the world a moody teenage boy. Normally, this would be when Hanamiya steps in and knocks in him some sense, but he figures he'll wait for all of them to convene first before he does any real disciplining. After all, he's feeling rather charitable today.

"Where's Seto?" asks Silver dumbly, looking around as if the other Demon would suddenly pop up in his field of vision.

"Not here, dumbass," Gold Jr. responds drolly. "Why do you think the cap's still standing there like a fucking idiot?" The two bicker for a little while more like a bunch of brats, which really, taking them in consideration, is what they are.

Hanamiya resists the urge to give them all a good beating. Instead, he carefully gathers what's left of his sanity and waits for the last of the seven Demons.

They come, eventually. An Illumination Portal forms near where they're all standing, the rays of moonlight dissipating into the air. Seto looks tired, and not at all apologetic for the stress he causes Hanamiya just by existing.

"Sorry for my lateness," Seto shrugs, impassively.

Fucking Satan. It was like he'd been transformed into a second Furuhashi.

"Alright, all of you. Listen up," Hanamiya says, eyeing all of them testily. At once, Silver and Gold Jr. silence, Hara shuts his mouth, and the woods still again. "You probably know why I've called you here. We're going to battle the Elemental Lords again. Only this time, we're going to beat them." He smiles, exposing a row of razor sharp teeth. "You see, I've made an alliance."

Yamazaki opens his mouth like he's going to say something, but one look from Hanamiya shuts him right up. "The Contractors," Hanamiya continues, and his audience reacts visibly.

"How—wha—why—" Silver seems lost for words, the fucking moron he is.

"So, an inside job, basically?" Hara says cheerfully, lifting his face so a tiny sliver of his eyes are visible. "You certain this will work?" His expression doesn't quite match his tone.

Hanamiya can only laugh, a cruel sound. "It doesn't matter if they're Elemental Lords or humans," he spits out, feeling all the pent-up loathing for the past eternity build up within him. "Break them, and they're all trash."

He holds his arms into the air, as if in reverent prayer. On the index finger of his left hand, there is a ring. It is shaped in the rough shape of a laughing face

* * *

Kuroko hears the sound of the Portal, the sound of footsteps echoing against the crystal flooring. He doesn't turn to greet his visitor, his memories of Akashi's gloating face as he described Kagami's death too fresh, too painful.

"Tetsu," says his visitor. Kuroko stiffens. Only one person calls him by that name, and he recognizes that voice.

"What do you want, Onii-san?"

"I can't visit you?" Aomine asks, his voice slightly tinged with hurt before it returns to its usual brash tone. "Fuck, Tetsu, Akashi will get bored and release you sooner or later. The more you struggle, the more he wants to keep you here."

Kuroko turns around. "Get me out of here, Onii-san," he says, almost pleading. "I have to get to Kagami's body. I have to see his death for myself."

"What's so good about that human, that you're so desperate to see his corpse?" Aomine says dismissively. "Like I said, Tetsu, wait it out. Akashi's bound to let you go someday."

It is a mistake. At once, Kuroko's expression becomes closed off, and his face becomes as indifferent as ever.

"Forget it then," Kuroko says quietly. He doesn't look at Aomine, doesn't look at anything, really. "Onii-san, I'm sorry about this."

"What are you—" Aomine doesn't get a chance to finish, when suddenly Kuroko launches himself at him, limbs scrambling wildly for his belt. Before he can stop him, Kuroko has gotten ahold of Aomine's sword, has unsheathed it, and without hesitation plunges it within his ankle.

Elemental Lords heal quickly, except for in one particular area; wound the achilles tendon, and you can severely injure, even incapacitate an Elemental Lord for a long period of time. Aomine freezes at the growing puddle of golden _ichor_ on the floor, Kuroko's sudden sickly pallor as he pulls the sword out.

"Tetsu.. _. why?_ "

Kuroko smiles humorlessly. "Because... Kagami is my precious friend," he says weakly. He backs away, releasing the sword onto the ground with a clatter. That is the only warning that Aomine gets, before he realizes what exactly Kuroko intends to do.

He pounces forward, intent on touching his younger brother before the portal is activated. But it is too late.

The Blood Portal flashes blindingly, once, twice, and then Kuroko and the blood is gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Seven Demons of Sin + Satan:
> 
> Hanamiya Makoto—Demon of Greed (Shadow)  
> Furuhashi Kojiro—Demon of Wrath (Sky)  
> Hara Kazuya—Demon of Gluttony (Sun)  
> Seto Kentaro—Demon of Sloth (Moon)  
> Yamazaki Hiroshi—Demon of Envy (Earth)  
> Nash Gold Jr.—Demon of Pride (Stone)  
> Jason Silver—Demon of Lust (Sea)
> 
> Haizaki Shougo—Satan
> 
> The Seven Demons of Sin were created prior to the Elemental Lords; however, their combined strength is slightly lower than their younger counterparts, and so they are inferior in terms of power. The clash between the two powers was known as the First Hell Wars, which the Seven Demons lost. All of them forced to flee for their lives, Hanamiya eventually corrupted a young human archer by the name of Haizaki Shougo, who drank the Sun Prince Kise's blood and was incarnated as Satan, the 'devil king'.
> 
> The battle between Satan and the Elemental Lords was known as the Second Hell Wars. Eventually Satan was vanquished and banished to deepest of the Hells, where his soul chipped away to pieces and Hanamiya took over his body.


	9. Chapter VII

The first thing Kagami notices when he wakes up is that everything _hurts_.

He almost cries out from the sensation of what feels like poison running through his veins, but he manages to muffle the noise within his throat, and anyway if Alex found out he couldn't take a little bit of pain she'd never let him live it down.

He shudders, the pain slowly dying down into a muffled soreness, and then tries to get a feel for his surroundings. His eyelids feel like lead, but he somehow manages to pry them open with sheer willpower, immediately shutting them closed again when a harsh brightness overwhelms his vision.

 _"Kagami—Kagami—Kagami—_ " Someone's choking out his name, a woman's voice. _Riko_ , he thinks, and a warm sensation shoots through his chest when he does. He may complain about her questionably edible food, her Spartan training, her overbearing strictness, but in the end she's the first person after Alex who genuinely cares for his well-being (there was technically another person before her, but he doesn't want to think of _that_ man), someone who saw potential in him even when he was just a scrawny boy set loose in the real world for the first time.

He tries to raise his arm, to reach out and reassure her _I'm alright, I'm right here, I'm sorry for making you worry_ , but he finds that his range of movement is limited due to the pain. Why does it even hurt so much? He'd been stabbed by that damned glasses-wearing brother of Kuroko, that was for sure, but even then there's no reason for his entire body to be sore and aching like someone poured molten lava on him.

Kuroko. The name causes a whole new of anxiety to shoot through his mind. Was he alright? How long had it been since he'd been taken away? Kagami has to find him, has to rescue him from the other Elemental Lords who are no doubt all psychos like Glasses, or worse.

He tries to open his eyes again, clenching his teeth as he forces them open, and this time the brightness doesn't instantly blind him. He's staring at a wide expanse of blue sky, a few clouds dotted here and there in the sky, and it's all so beautiful that Kagami would cry if he were given the chance. In the periphery of his vision he sees Riko's short brown hair and a tall brunet man he doesn't recognize, and then Hyuuga's face emerges and along with it there's Mitobe, and Koganei, and Furihata...

" _Kagami!_ " Riko cries out, and suddenly her arms are wrapped around his shoulders, her head nestled in the crook of his neck. The physical contact is painful but Kagami doesn't protest, allowing his shirt to become stained wet with tears.

They all crowd around him then, his teammates, his friends, his compatriots-in-suffering, his _family_. Hyuuga sets a gruff hand on Kagami's hair, Izuki clenches at Kagami's wrist and doesn't let go, Tsuchida tries to smile at him but it ends up looking like a grimace instead, and even shy, hesitant Furihata is there looking anxiously at him in the background, tears trailing down his cheeks.

"Ow," Kagami says, and it's an understatement. Riko lets him go, and they all back away to give him some space as he tries to sit up on whatever the heck he's laying down on. It's stone, judging by the slightly rough but solid feel, and when he looks down he realizes it's some kind of elevated platform, just barely long enough to fit him because his heels dig into empty air when he stretches his feet.

He places a hand on the platform, wincing as he pushes himself up into a sitting position. Mitobe tries to give him some support from the back, but his touch feels like acid given how sore Kagami's body is, and Kagami flinches away from the sensation before he can help himself.

"Fuck, what _happened_?" Kagami asks, hissing as his joints make audible cracking sounds. "Fuck—fuck— _ow_ —"

"You died," Riko whispers, her voice shaky, sounding like her entire world had shattered and then rebuilt itself. "That man, Kuroko's brother—Midorima, the Earth King—anyway, he lied about sparing you. As soon as Kuroko was gone, he stabbed you through the heart and turned you into ashes."

" _W—what_?" Kagami chokes out, his mouth making nonsensical movements as he tries to process exactly what's going on. So Glasses was a lying bastard, on top of his overall creepiness overall? But then— "If I died, how come I'm alive right now?"

Riko looks away, her face ashamed, and Kagami's surprised to notice that even Hyuuga does the same. For a moment there's a moment of silence in which nobody's willing to speak, and Kagami almost doesn't want to hear the answer.

The tall man standing next to Riko finally speaks. "We resurrected you with the Tear of the Heavenly Emperor," he says. His voice is strangely low, and pleasant to the ears, and a calming feeling washes over Kagami as he listens despite his previous reservations. "I had a... _friend_ , who owed me a favor, who gave me some of Midorima's hair. We extracted the core out of it and used that to form the Tear, which we then spread over your ashes to make you come back."

The story is almost too strange to be true. Kagami bites his lip, looking at the familiar faces all staring at him, and none of them look like they're lying to him or playing a joke.

"But, isn't it impossible to absorb part of an Elemental Lord's power?" Kagami asks. The idea is so ludicrous he wants to either laugh or cry, or maybe both. "Remember what happened to Papa Mbaye?"

They all do. It had happened relatively recently, as a matter of fact—Papa Mbaye was an aspiring warrior at the Shinkyo camp, who, at their annual practice training exchange with Seirin, had stolen some of Kuroko's hair and ingested it. The agonizing screams as he crumbled into dust still haunts their minds to the day.

"But remember the story Kuroko told you, about Satan?" Riko counters. "And Ogiwara Shigehiro, too, you were too young to have remembered him. It's possible to survive taking in part of an Elemental Lord's body, which is really just extremely dense magic power, if you are of at least third-generation demon descent. And since we used the Tear of the Heavenly Emperor, your body accepted the invasive magic power much more smoothly."

The casual confession that now everybody _knows_ that Kagami is of demon descent sends shivers through Kagami's spine at first, because he worked so hard to keep that under wraps, dammit, _and now everybody knew and they would hate him_ —

_"Demon brat!"_

_"Get out! I don't serve half-breeds here!"_

—but when he looks at the faces around him, there are no expressions of disgust and anger like he expects. Hyuuga in particular has a peculiar expression like he's bitten a lemon, and Kagami recognizes that face because it's one he makes every time he lies to Riko about how delicious her food is.

"You knew," Kagami accuses quietly, but he's not upset at all. "You knew I was a part-demon all along, didn't you?" His voice sounds high pitched even to his own ears, and he wants to cringe at how pansy it sounds, but then again, this is a special occasion.

"Of course, Bakagami," Riko says, laughing, and it sounds more relieved than anything else. "Do you really think you could keep it hidden from us? You're part werewolf, aren't you? I've seen you staring at the full moon enough times after training to tell."

Hyuuga nods, and then Izuki's nodding too, and then Mitobe and Koganei and Tsuchida until the entire camp is nodding around him, all of them smiling at him and it's all so stupid and cheesy that Kagami wants nothing else but to cry in front of them, but he can't because he has his pride as a warrior.

"And then?" Kagami prompts, trying to change the subject.

Hyuuga looks at Riko, who looks at that tall man, who finally speaks again. "It's forbidden to steal an Elemental Lord's power, which is essentially what we did," the man says. "The punishment for breaking that rule is turning the transgressor's blood into poison. You're essentially immortal now, because of all the magic power you now possess, but you will always be in pain."

Kagami laughs at that. "I can't even _use_ magic power," he says, staring at the protruding veins in his arm, which are now a deep purple color, almost black, instead of their usual blue. "I'm a warrior, I use guns, not spells."

Riko clamps a hand on his shoulder. "We can get you one of those guns that shoot magic power instead of energy bullets," she says, and suddenly her face is determined. "But anyway, now that you're back, we can finally get to saving Kuroko. He belongs with _us_ , not those disgusting siblings of his."

Kagami finds himself nodding. "We have to save him," he says, resolute, before turning his attention to the tall man. "And who are you?"

" _Bakagami_!" Riko scolds, for his rudeness, and smacks him gently all the cheek. "Be polite. This is my ex-boyfriend you're talking to."

Kagami suddenly has no desire to be involved with someone who was stupid enough to date _Riko_ of all people, but the tall man smiles reassuringly at him, and okay, so maybe Kagami's overreacting a little.

"My name is Kiyoshi Teppei," says the man, extending his arm. There is a blocky metal ring on the ring finger of his left hand, shaped into the rough image of a heart. "I'm the founder of Seirin."

"One of the Uncrowned Kings," Hyuuga elaborates. "He owns the _Iron Heart_."

* * *

_"Momocchi!" Kise shouts. He smiles radiantly, waving wildly as he weaves his way across the open air towards her. "Momocchi, over here!"_

Coming _, Momoi thinks, annoyed, through their shared mental connection, and similarly moves towards him. She doesn't understand why Kise finds the need to shout, not when he could be sensible and simply_ think _whatever he wants to tell her. She lifts her head to give him the most disparaging stare she can muster, but freezes when she spots Kuroko's blue hair, his tiny frame tucked snugly in her twin brother's arms._

_Akashi has never, not even once, allowed anyone other than himself or Momoi to hold Kuroko. This is out of stubborn possessiveness, yes, but another more sinister reason lurks: he is, perhaps rightfully so, distrustful of Kise._

_Kise, who wears a mask of stupidity and vanity and arrogance, is also the same person Momoi once saw torturing a servant's child, spraying chili oil into a wound until finally the little boy ran out of tears and fainted from the sheer agony of it alone. And even then Kise didn't stop, not until Momoi intervened, threatening to report the incident to their oldest brother._

_Kise delights in pain, no matter his title as the Sun Prince; despite his radiant exterior, he holds a tangled mass of darkness within._

_Kuroko isn't crying, and looks relatively unharmed, to Momoi's immense relief. She rushes over to his side, snatching him from Kise's arms, her face an angry snarl as he stares eye-to-eye at her twin._

_"Now, that wasn't very nice, Momocchi," Kise whines to her, but his eyes, twin golden orbs, are cold. "I never get to hold Kurokocchi, because Akashicchi never allows me to, and now you side with_ him _over me?"_

_Momoi doesn't realize she's shaking until Kuroko makes a discomforted sound within her embrace. She tries rocking him, making gentle shushing sounds, but doesn't take her eyes off Kise._

_The two of them are twins, evenly matched against the other's power. But if they were to fight now, she would be at a disadvantage; Kise, unlike her, would not be worried about Kuroko's well-being, and even delight in his pain._

_"I side with nobody, Ryouta," Momoi says out loud, too frightened to share the thought mentally, but that's a lie, isn't it, she knows about how Aomine calls her 'Akashi-neesan' mockingly behind her back. "I simply wanted to hold Tetsu-kun for a little bit."_

_They stare at each other, none of them speaking and backing down. Finally, Kise looks away, and Momoi releases a breath she didn't know she was holding._

_"Fine, you get to keep Kurokocchi this time," Kise says, and his tone is flat, and terrifying. "But there will be one day that I'll get to keep him all to myself, and you won't be able to take him away."_

_It's a threat, and they both know it. But for now, Kuroko is safe within her arms._

_"I love Tetsu-kun more than anything," Momoi declares out loud, her voice resounding into the open air. "I love him more than Akashi loves him, and yes, even more than you love him, Ryouta. There is nothing I wouldn't do for him in this entire world, even betray Akashi, if need be."_

_"Even if he hated you more than anything?" Kise asks. He's trying to unsettle her, and it's working. "Would you still betray Akashicchi if Kurokocchi wanted nothing to do with you?"_

_Momoi doesn't have time to hesitate, because what Kise's looking for is an opening._

_"Yes," says Momoi, and then she smiles. Akashi loves her smiles, she knows, and he's weak to them just as how Kuroko's smiles can make him change his mind in even the most stubborn of moods. She's just as good an actor as her twin, and has the charm that Kise lacks and makes up for in charisma._

_Kise laughs, suddenly, and though the sound is pleasing to the ears it sends shivers down her back. "You're a liar, Momocchi," Kise says, and chuckles some more. "You don't want me to hold Kurokocchi because you're afraid I'll hurt him, but I know you enjoy Kurokocchi's pain, just like me. Your love is just as twisted as mine. We're one and the same, aren't we?"_

_Momoi wants to retort, tries to find an answer to the accusation, but finds that she has none._

How dare you, _she thinks to him, a fury rising through her chest._ How dare you insinuate that my love is just as impure as yours?

_Kise smiles at her. "You didn't deny it."_

And then Momoi wakes up, sweaty from the memory, her breathing rapid and ichor pounding almost painfully through her temples.

"You're awake, finally~" Kise sing-songs, smiling at her from the seat where he'd been watching her sleep. "You missed it, you know. Kurokocchi escaped while you were busy sleeping."

"What?" Momoi demands, sitting up immediately. She doesn't feel any fear for Kise at the current moment, strangely enough. "What happened?"

"He stabbed himself in the weak spot, and made a Blood Portal with all the ichor that flowed out of him. I didn't think he had it in him, but this makes him so much more lovely, don't you think so, Momoichii?" Kise's eyes are sparkling for the first time she remembers in their entire lifetime. "Oh, and if you hear any screaming, that's Aomine being punished by Akashicchi. Akashichii's furious right now, you know?"

"I didn't know," Momoi says brusquely. "When did this happen?"

Kise shrugs. "Just recently. But think—if we can get to Kurokocchi, we can have him for ourselves." He looks at her, and then his expressions shifts into a grin. "But that's what you're thinking right now, aren't you, Momoicchi? It's all over your face."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Momoi says, getting up, but when she catches her reflection in the mirror over her vanity, she is smiling.

* * *

Mayuzumi looks at his fellow Rakuzan teammates with distaste, his mood soured by his meeting with Imayoshi the previous day. All of them are in varying degrees of sobriety, himself included, three empty barrels of wine already tossed to the side despite it still being early morning.

"Rakuzan!" he shouts, trying to summon their attention. None of them pay any attention to him except Mibuchi, who just gives him a bored look and then turns away. "Akashi-sama has summoned us to track down the escaped Shadow Lord."

"Do we _have_ to?" Hayama whines, fiddling with the thunderbolt-shaped ring on the middle finger of his right hand. "Anyway, just because you're Akashi-sama's contractor, doesn't mean you have the right to order us around. Go find the Shadow Lord himself, if you're so interested."

Mayuzumi is both too tired and too uncaring to deal with Hayama's playing around. "Akashi-sama said to find the Shadow Lord," he says, carefully enunciating every word. "If you don't want me to report this act of disobedience to Akashi-sama, you _will_ get out, and you _will_ find him."

"Fine, fine," Hayama says, rolling his eyes, and the ring disappears, replaced with a spear that sparks with electricity and generally looks intimidating. "You're so dramatic, Chihiro-kun."

Mayuzumi bristles at the informal address, but says nothing. Around him, Eikichi produces an intimidating-looking mace, and Mibuchi is holding a bow with a quiver of ominous-looking black arrows glinting in the afternoon light slung over his shoulders.

"I can't believe you're making me give up wine for this," Eikichi slurs, too drunk to walk straight.

Mibuchi says nothing, but only stares forlornly at his empty wine cup.

Mayuzumi sighs.

Akashi-sama didn't actually order Rakuzan to track down the Shadow Lord, but Imayoshi's word is absolute, even above Akashi-sama's at times. And if he has to threaten his fellow teammates to get what he wants, so be it.

"You better pay me back in full, Imayoshi," he mutters to himself, before groping around his pockets for a connection orb so he call the older man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Uncrowned Kings:
> 
> Reo Mibuchi: Human, "Night Demon", bow, worn on the thumb
> 
> Makoto Hanamiya: Demon of Greed, "Bad Boy", lance, worn on the index finger
> 
> Kotaro Hayama: Human, "Thunder Beast", spear, worn on the middle finger
> 
> Kiyoshi Teppei: Human, "Iron Heart", sword, worn on the ring finger
> 
> Eikichi Nebuya: Human, "Herculean Strength", mace, worn on the pinky
> 
> The Five Uncrowned Kings all possess the Five Rings of the Generals, forged by the famed blacksmith Higuchi Shota more than a hundred thousand years ago. The rings have the unique ability to turn into weapons, and can be amplified with magic power.
> 
> The second ring, "Bad Boy", was stolen by Haizaki Shougo, and passed on to Makoto Hanamiya's possession when the latter took over the former's body. The other rings were all bought by nobility, and passed on to their descendants who still possess them to the present day.
> 
> There is a rumor that there was one more ring made by Higuchi, that had the ability to turn into a gun.


	10. Part VII

The boy suddenly appears in the corner of an alleyway, eyes glazed over and lips slightly parted. Around him, a puddle of molten gold slowly begins to form, almost glowing in the darkness that shrouds over the city.

To the average passerby, he is hardly noticeable, although perhaps in different circumstances they would be hard-pressed not to take a second look at him. He is young, perhaps no older than fifteen or sixteen, and eerily doll-like with his fine porcelain features, a sculpted chin and pink lips tinted slightly blue. Almost everything about him is cold: frosty eyelashes over icy blue pupils, corpse-white skin stretched over delicate cheekbones, a cloud of pale-blue hair. He lies absolutely still in the abandoned alleyway, as if dead.

Halfway across the city, a woman's eyes snap open.

"Where are you going, darling?" the man in the bed besides her mumbles, still lost in his haze of intoxication, when he notices her leaving the bed and pulling her dress back over her shoulders. He's reasonably clever, certainly, enough to have attracted her attention earlier in the night, but not smart enough now to stay silent when he needs to most. "Don't you know it's dark outsi..."

He doesn't get to finish. The woman places a finger over his lips, silencing him, and then snaps his neck with her other hand before he even realizes that she's moved. He dies with an accusing look on his face, mouth opened in a confused 'O' and eyes staring at her unfathomably.

"I'm sorry, but I can't have you remembering this later," the woman whispers, cradling his chin with a sad, kindly smile. She's a pretty thing, dark black hair and plump red lips, and there is nothing cruel in her expression when she tosses away his body a second later. It slumps onto the mattress, still radiating heat, like an abandoned toy. "I have some unfinished business to take care of. Now, I'll be back for you later, so be good, okay?"

She wets her lips. In the darkness of the room, she strikes a match, bringing it to eye-level and staring at it with intense concentration. A second later the flame flickers to life, spreading out in sheer intensity until reality itself seems to shimmer and distort to its will.

The woman smiles once, and steps through the thin sheen of time and space until she is no longer in the dingy must of the hotel room and instead just another figure in the city, trying to find their way in life. No one seems to find her sudden appearance strange or out of sorts; but again, no one seems to notice anything either way.

* * *

"I want an explanation," Tatsuya demands, almost throwing himself at Imayoshi in anger. "I want an explanation, and I will get one,  _right now_."

Imayoshi raises his hands in mock-surrender, his bottom lip curled up with amusement. It's a disgusting look, Tatsuya thinks, and his rage only grows when he thinks about that expression and then Kagami's body (how had his younger brother died—proud? or had they brutalized his body, disfigured it beyond repair? he doesn't know. he hasn't seen, will never get to see, the body) and the way Wakamatsu mentioned his death so casually, just another casualty in this eternal conspiracy against the Elemental Lords.

His hands itch even more when he sees Imayoshi shrug a little bit,  _no-big-deal_ , like  _Tatsuya_ 's being the obstinate one right now. Imayoshi must sense Tatsuya's killing intent at this point because he does take a step backwards, masking it as pacing, but that damned smile never leaves his smile throughout the whole debacle.

"Maa, maa, Tatsuya-kun," Imayoshi says, and somehow even though Tatsuya's a good two inches taller than him he still manages to look down on Tatsuya with a mildly patronizing air. "I afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

"Wakamatsu told me everything," Tatsuya says, stepping forward. Instantly, something flashes through Imayoshi's face, although it's gone too quickly for Tatsuya to tell exactly what it is. "You told Takao to give Seirin that hair, didn't you?"

Without meaning to, anger takes over his mind. He steps closer, and closer again, and Imayoshi's eyes widen imperceptibly as Tatsuya slams him against the wall.

"It wasn't enough that you killed Kagami?" Tatsuya whispers, feeling his breathing quicken with rage. "You killed my brother and now you want him to  _suffer_?"

There is a hand on his shoulder, a foot near his ankle, and before he knows it, he is falling backwards without a chance to regain his balance. The impact itself is painful, and the feel of Imayoshi's body falling over his own even more so.

"Calm down, Tatsuya-kun," Imayoshi says, eyes slanted as he grins down on Tatsuya. He pins Tatsuya's hands to the ground with ease, now that his victim is too winded to resist, and straddles over him triumphantly. "You're not thinking straight, hmm?"

Tatsuya spits at Imayoshi. "I assure you that I am perfectly rational right now, Imayoshi."

The older man wipes the spit off his cheek, staring at it with distaste, before turning his attention back to Tatsuya. "Now, now, the Tatsuya-kun I knew would never do that," he patronizes, and Tatsuya flushes slightly because it  _is_  uncharacteristic of him to do so, and Imayoshi's right, he's letting his anger get the better of him. "You haven't heard the full story, have you?"

He looks at Tatsuya's blank expression before continuing:

"Seirin's dead, did you know?" Imayoshi says, his grin growing impossibly wider. "They angered the Earth King by trying to revive someone the Elemental Lords wanted dead, so he destroyed the camp when all of them were in it. You don't have to worry about your precious little brother ending up like you."

The news itself is a relief, albeit a guilty one. Tatsuya hadn't been on familiar terms with any of the people in the Seirin camp, but the idea of people who loved Kagami so much that they wanted him back by any means  _dying_  is a bitter note on his tongue.

"Was this also your plotting?" Tatsuya asks. He can't imagine the Earth King finding out about the hair unless there had been a traitor in Seirin, which is unlikely, or an informer in one of the contractors, most likely Takao as well.

"You overestimate me, Tatsuya-kun," Imayoshi smiles, but it's a dishonest one that Tatsuya can't trust at all. He rolls off Tatsuya, brushing his hands together. "And after all, that wouldn't be much fun to watch, would it?"

It's certainly a reason. What's even worse, Tatsuya believes him.

"Despicable," is all he manages to say, although it still comes off as sardonic. He breathes in slowly, shaking out the tension that has gathered itself in the limbs, and pushes himself against the ground to an unsteady standing position.

"It's all a show, my dear Tatsuya-kun," Imayoshi says, and he doesn't sound a bit sorry at all.

* * *

The woman arrives at the entrance to the alleyway right at the witching hour, when the creatures of the darkness are most powerful and plentiful. She is not alone; several of her brethren have been attracted to the area from the mere scent of such potent magic power, although they are not powerful enough to see the source.

" _Where is it_?" a man mutters, eyes crazed, all reason lost. His face begins to melt into a grotesque shape, reminiscent of a wax figure, until it stops and reverses back into recognizably human features; the cycle repeats for a few more times before the woman loses interest in watching and turns away. " _Where is it_?  _I can smell it, it is right here, so close, so close, where is it_?"

Around him, several others pace nervously, attracted to the allure of power by their baser instincts but still sane enough to question why. She can see some of them trying to resist the calling, but most fall under the spell of their supernatural blood.

"The wolf has gone mad," a grey-haired werewolf confides to his companion, cloudy eyes moving back and forth in a paranoid state. "He wants—there is something here. I'm terrified that he'll try to wrest control from me if I don't find it soon."

Another seedy-looking cambion murmurs to an entranced group of men who seem to be hanging onto her every word. The spell is weak enough that only the weakest of the bunch gather around her, those too human to resist the charm of a fellow half-blood.

The woman crosses her arms, ignoring the sparse crowd gathered around her as she leans against one of the walls. They are weak, too far below for someone of her level to deal with, and there are more pressing concerns to worry about at the current moment. Like the man that is now rapidly approaching the area.

The others must sense it too, for they become more agitated as they sense the new presence. The smarter ones disperse immediately, leaving behind about two-thirds of the original crowd. Another moment, and something tugs at her mind, whispering to her:  _LEAVE_.

It's a powerful pull, and if she were any weaker or younger she would have certainly succumbed immediately to the enchantment. As it is, it is only able to cause her a minor annoyance, not serious enough to worry too much but still enough to prevent her from taking her attention elsewhere.

For everyone else, however, it is enough. She is the only one left from a gathering of perhaps fifty, and the weak state of today's demons are almost laughable.

_Have today's bloodlines become too diluted?_

"I didn't expect that there would be anyone left," a voice says, cutting her from her thoughts. She looks up, and to be expected, it is  _him_ , looking as handsome as ever: lanky legs, high cheekbones, curly hair she used to play with in her hands as they warmed themselves in each others' embraces. Now, however, they are not lovers but enemies.

"You were never able to beat me," the woman muses, mostly to herself. She looks at the man solemnly. "It would be wise not to try."

The man looks at her, as if trying to see past her face, and realizes it only after a moment of self-deliberation. "It's  _you_ , Masa, isn't it," he says, mouthing shaping into a large grin. "I did think you were familiar. You've aged well."

"It's good to see you again, Katchan," the woman smiles as well, showing her teeth. They glint menacingly, and she watches as years of memories flood through the brain of the other.

"Likewise," the man says. He pauses, and then looks up, as if thinking how to approach the subject. "You're here for the Shadow Lord, aren't you?"

How very straightforward. It's one of the things that made Katsunori so attractive back then, all those years ago, and Masako isn't complaining.

"Yousen needs a stronger base," she says, staring at him bluntly. "We only have the second-youngest of the Elemental Lords, and now you will deprive us of the youngest? Doesn't Touou already have both the Moon Princess and the Sea King backing them? What else do you need?"

"It's still not enough," Katsunori says. "Rakuzan is still the strongest of the camps. Do you know how they look down on us? Imayoshi led a party down there to negotiate with the Heavenly Emperor's contractor and he tells me how he was treated with the utmost disrespect. Eiji... he has become arrogant with power."

"But yet  _you_  look down on us," Masako says, furrowing her eyebrows. "I fail to see your point, when that boy of yours, Imayoshi, snubbed Tatsuya-kun. He came to me complaining of injuries to the chest and face just this morning, and now you are complaining of disrespect."

"Boys will be boys," Katsunori says, uncaringly. "And Imayoshi-kun says that he treated that Tatsuya boy with respect. It was your boy that came and instigated the whole incident."

Masako doesn't bother arguing with him anymore. "The Shadow Lord—no,  _Kuroko_ —he belongs with us." She opens her eyes, allowing them to shine with the full force of a demon scorned. She can overpower him, and he knows it, but it will be a lengthy battle that neither of them can afford.

Katsunori raises his arms, as if in mock surrender. "Masa, Masa, it doesn't have to be this way," he says, his voice sweet to the ear, like how it had been when they had been together. "We can share him, how about that. Who said that Elemental Lords were limited to one Contractor? He can make a contract with one of my boys, and then we'll have him go with one of yours."

_listen to him he loved you once and he doesn't lie just say yes yes yes yes_

_He's trying to seduce me_ , Masako thinks, disgusted, as her mind wavers slightly at the thought.  _He doesn't want to fight, but he has no indication of giving up the right to the Elemental Lord_.

"Your tricks have no effect on me, Katchan," she tells him finally, watching his smiling expression drop to something serious. "We are not young anymore, and I am not foolish so much as to believe you."

"I was trying to be nice," Katsunori complains. "Maa, maa, this is what I get for trying to be nice to a lady."

They eye each other, ready to attack at a moment's notice. Masako clenches her hand into a tight fist, imagining punching that arrogant bastard with all the force that she can and the satisfying crunch of a solid hit.

It's been so long since they went their separate ways and yet he hasn't changed a single bit. She remembers what had tore them apart: he wanted more, more,  _more,_  all of her, until his greed eventual led to her ultimate desertion.

"The both of you youngsters are so loud," a voice says behind her, and Masako freezes. Katsunori drops his raised fist, joining her as they stare blankly at an elderly woman hobbling down the alleyway. They must have overlooked her in their preoccupation with each other, because how else had Masako not sensed anyone there?

"Who are you?" Katsunori demands. "What are you here for?"

The old woman tsks, waving her cane at them. "You younger demons are so rude," she says, shaking her head. "None of you are worthy of the Shadow Lord."

Masako opens her mouth to retort, but her body is frozen, and then there are fangs on her neck, digging into the delicate skin. She vaguely hears Katsunori calling out her name, but all her spiritual energy is being siphoned away, and black spots appear in her vision until she is overcome by a wave of darkness.

"What did I say?" the old woman cackles, wiping the blood from both younger demons off her chin. They both lie on the ground, weakened, as harmless as babes.

_Psh_. She'll spare them now, but the next time they clash in their points of interest, she won't hesitate to destroy them. She has no qualms on killing children, after all, with how long she's lived.

She hobbles into the alleyway they had both contested on so bitterly, humming a quiet tune.

Now that there is no one to see her, the old woman finally takes the glamour off her face for good. Without it, she is much much younger and more striking to the eye: long, cascading blonde hair, a royal nose, piercing jade-green eyes that flash red every now and then. They flicker about the scene, finally locking onto the face of the boy now in front of her.

"Well, what do we have here, Lord Kuroko?" Alexandra asks, and smiles, revealing blood-stained teeth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elemental Lords and their Contractors:
> 
> Akashi  
> — Mayuzumi Chihiro  
> — FORMER: Nijimura Shuuzo
> 
> Momoi  
> — Imayoshi Shouichi
> 
> Kise  
> — Kasamatsu Yukio
> 
> Midorima  
> — Takao Kazunari
> 
> Aomine  
> — Wakamatsu Kosuke
> 
> Murasakibara  
> — Himuro Tatsuya  
> — FORMER: Masako Araki
> 
> Kuroko  
> — FORMER: Kagami Taiga  
> — FORMER: Ogiwara Shigehiro


End file.
